


in this together

by Spikedluv



Series: in this together series [1]
Category: Hit the Floor (TV)
Genre: M/M, Original Character(s), Post-3.10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-12 14:01:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 26,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7937425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spikedluv/pseuds/Spikedluv
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jude and Zero fight back against Jelena’s threat to trade Zero.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place immediately following 3.10 Possession. It's coming in just under the wire, but I ~am going to get it posted in full before the summer special airs. *fist pump*
> 
> Written: September 2, 2016
> 
> (The story ~will earn it's NC17 rating, I promise. *g*)

Jude looked at the shattered glass on the floor, then up at the frame that used to hold the likeness of Jelena. He was still in shock that Oscar was out, that _he_ was out, and that Zero had been traded . . . . Zero! Jude pulled himself together enough to go after Zero. He started off walking, then broke into a jog, in the direction Zero had gone. When he caught sight of him, Jude called out, “Zero, wait!”

Zero kept walking, giving no sign that he’d even heard Jude. His hands were in fists at his sides, and his shoulders were pulled in, as if he was protecting himself from another blow.

“Zero!” Jude called again, then, “Gideon!”

Zero came to a sudden halt, his top half still moving forward slightly, as if he hadn’t told his feet to stop. It looked like he was debating whether he should keep moving, and then he just . . . deflated. Zero turned his head to look at Jude, and Jude could see the maelstrom of emotions swirling in his eyes, and the tight clench of his jaw as he tried to keep a tight rein on them.

“Hey,” Jude said when he reached Zero’s side. He curled his fingers around Zero’s wrist and pulled his arm towards him. It was like trying to move a block of wood. “Hey,” Jude said again. “We’ll figure something out.”

Zero looked away from Jude and shook his head, as if he’d already given up on himself, on them. Jude knew that had more to do with Zero than with him, but it still hurt. He took Zero’s fist into his other hand and gently worked his fingers open. “We’re still in this together, right?”

Jude slipped his fingers between Zero’s and raised their joined hands. “Right? Team Zero?”

Zero’s lips twitched, and he ducked his head, as if he didn’t think he should be allowed to smile right then. “Team Zude,” he said.

“Zude?”

“Yeah.” Zero shrugged, downplaying the importance of what he was saying. “If Derek and Ahsha can be ‘Dersha’, we can be Zude. I mean, if we’re in this together.”

“Team Zude,” Jude repeated. “I like the sound of that.”

Zero looked at Jude through his eyelashes. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Jude said.

Zero leaned over and kissed Jude hard on the mouth. He let himself smile, but it didn’t erase completely the tight lines at the corners of his eyes.

Jude squeezed Zero’s hand, and Zero squeezed back. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Where are we going?” Zero said, falling into step with Jude.

“I don’t know, yet,” Jude said. “Somewhere that isn’t here.”

“What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know that, either.” Jude squeezed Zero’s hand again. “But we’ll figure it out.”

Jude wanted to tell Zero to trust him, the words were right on the tip of his tongue, but he knew that trust came hard to Zero, so he held them back. Zero surprised Jude by saying, “You always do.”

“ _We_ always do,” Jude said, warmed by Zero’s faith in him. Now he just had to figure out what the hell they were going to do.

Zero didn’t protest when Jude led him to the passenger side of the Porsche Zero had bought for him. Jude stood with his hand on the door until Zero was in the seat and buckling up, then he closed it and walked around to the driver’s side.

Jude waited until they were out of the parking lot before he called Lionel and put the phone on speaker. Her voice was strained when she answered, but Jude didn’t think anything of it. “Lionel!” Jude said. “What the hell happened?”

“How did you hear about it already?” Lionel said.

“I was at the Arena,” Jude said. “Jelena told Zero.”

“Jelena knows? How would Jelena know?”

Jude heard a voice in the background. “Is that Pete Davenport? What’s going on? Lionel?”

Lionel coughed. “I thought you said you’d already heard about it.”

“About Oscar being out and Jelena threatening to trade Zero,” Jude said.

Lionel started laughing, and then choking. Pete said, “Lionel, here, drink some water.” Jude glanced at Zero, who shrugged. He had no idea what was going on with Lionel, either.

“Lionel,” Jude said. “Are you alright?”

“Yes,” Lionel said. “I will be. Stop fussing, Pete. You know,” she said, talking to Jude again, “if we weren’t all going down with him, I’d love the front row seat we have to Jelena taking Oscar down.”

“Mmm,” Jude said. “Do you know how she managed it?”

“She’s got the minority shareholders on her side,” Pete said. He’d obviously taken the phone away from Lionel, because Jude could hear her in the background telling Pete to give it back. Then Pete told them what had happened to Lionel, and that they’d had to break a window to escape the garage. After asking if she was alright again, and urging Pete to call an ambulance for her, Jude disconnected the call and drove in silence. He punched the steering wheel. Zero glanced over at him, but remained silent.

“This is all Oscar’s fault,” Jude said. Oscar had committed bribery, corruption, game fixing, and murder. It was little wonder he couldn’t be the father Jude had wanted.

Jude didn’t know where he was going, but he just kept driving. He took the 101 to Mulholland Drive and pulled over at the Hollywood Bowl Scenic Overlook. It gave Jude a rush of mean pleasure to look down on Hollywood and know that Oscar had been denied the arena there.

“What are you thinking?” Zero said.

Jude knew he wasn’t talking about Oscar and the Hollywood Arena. “Jelena controls the Devils because she took all of the minority shareholders away from Oscar. She only has a majority so long as that coalition holds together.”

“We’re going to make sure it doesn’t,” Zero said.

“Yes. All we need to do is take one of them away from her and the whole thing crumbles.”

“Okay,” Zero said. “So how do you plan to do that?”

“Talk to them,” Jude said. “Make sure that they understand that Jelena isn’t making decisions that are in the best interest of the team, and that we, they, can’t afford to lose you. Find out if there’s something they want more than they want to stick it to Oscar on this matter.”

“That’s going to take time we don’t have,” Zero said. “Jelena said she’s already made the trade.”

“Even Jelena can’t move that fast,” Jude said. “It needs to go before the Board for a vote, and it’ll take time to find a team that not only wants you, but is able to take on the remainder of your thirty million dollar contract. Small market teams don’t have that much money lying around, and even the large market teams have already spent most of their money by now. Not only that, but it takes time to put a deal together. These things don’t happen overnight.”

“You really think that’ll work?”

Jude felt lighter than he had since Zero had broken the news to him. Part of it had to do with having a plan, but the rest of it was just how much faith Zero had in him. “I do. Those shareholders may have promised her their support against Oscar, but trading you is another matter entirely. Not all of them will be on board with that. And if we can’t persuade one of them to drop their support, well, I’m sure at least one of them has a skeleton or two in their closet.”

Zero gave Jude a look that was both surprised and impressed. “What do we do first?”

“We need to go back to the arena,” Jude said, heading back to where he’d parked the car.

“For what?”

“All the information I have on the shareholders is on my laptop, which I left behind.”

Jude pulled back onto Mulholland Drive and headed for the 101.

“What if Jelena’s locked us out already?”

“She can’t,” Jude said. “She hasn’t fired me yet, though that’s no guarantee she hasn’t revoked _my_ access, but she can’t revoke yours yet. She can’t afford to not have you playing.”

“What if you’re wrong?” Zero said. “She’s already told me she’s trading me, and she already knows I’d throw a game for less.”

Jude gave Zero a look. “Then we sneak in. I used to do it all the time.”

Zero gave Jude an impressed raise of his eyebrows. “You rebel, you.”

Jude laughed, then sobered. “I just hope she hasn’t gotten into my office and scrubbed my laptop.”

“The information would be publicly available, right?”

“Yes,” Jude said, “but that would take time; this is easier and quicker.”

Jude fell silent as he ran through the names of the shareholders and what he could remember about them.

“What are you thinking now?” Zero said.

“I was just trying to determine which if the shareholders would be our best bet.”

“In your head,” Zero said in disbelief.

“Yes?”

“Wait, you know their names?”

“Yes.”

“And enough about them to create, what, a top three list in your head?”

“Yes.”

“Then why do we need the laptop?”

“Because I don’t remember everything that’s in my files,” Jude said.

Zero tilted his head. “You’ve got _files_ on them?”

Jude refused to be embarrassed about that. “I always wanted to be part of the Devils organization.”

“And one way you did that was to create files on the shareholders. Sure,” Zero said.

“All the employees, actually. As well as the players. And the dancers,” Jude admitted.

Zero gave Jude a considering look. “You’re an anal retentive nerd,” he finally said. “But you’re my anal retentive nerd.”

Jude grinned. He still wasn’t used to be called Zero’s _anything_. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to it, or tired of hearing it.

~*~

No one stopped them when they pulled into the parking lot, or when they entered the building, though Zero did stop Jude from using his card and held his own under the reader. “Plausible deniability,” he said.

They made it up to Jude’s office without being seen. They stepped inside and closed the door before turning on the light. Jude packed the laptop into his briefcase, and then took a moment to look over his desk and think about what other files he might want to take with him tonight in case he was locked out tomorrow and couldn’t come back. There was only one.

Zero gave him a questioning look.

“Your file,” Jude said.

“You’ve got a file on _me_?”

“I started it when I was with the agency,” Jude said. “I kept copies of everything in case I needed the information at my fingertips.”

Jude released the folder when Zero reached for it. He forced himself not to squirm as Zero flipped it open.

“There’s Devils paperwork in here, too,” Zero said. “Scouting report . . . .”

Jude took the file back, closing the folder before Zero could list everything in the file. “I may have updated it when I became EVP,” he said, sliding the folder into his briefcase alongside the laptop.

“You kept the file even though you weren’t my agent anymore,” Zero said.

“I still worked for the agency,” Jude said. “The information might’ve been important.”

“You could’ve turned it back over to the agency when you stopped being my agent, or when you became EVP,” Zero pointed out reasonably.

Jude hated it when Zero used that reasonable tone, because it usually meant that he was going to say something very _un_ reasonable next.

“No, I couldn’t have,” Jude said.

“Because then they would’ve known how much of a stalker you were?”

“It wasn’t stalking; it was . . . doing a thorough job.”

“This might be our last chance to have sex in your office,” Zero said.

And there it was. “We don’t have time for that right now . . . I mean, we’re not having sex in my office. Ever.”

Zero smirked. “You’re right, we don’t have time right now, but it’s something to look forward to.”

Before Jude could reply, Zero kissed him. It was over too quickly, but it still made Jude forget what they’d been talking about. “We should, um, get out of here before someone sees us.”

Just then they heard a loud bang that could’ve been a door slamming shut. Jude and Zero looked at each other. “Is someone else here?” Zero asked.

Jude shook his head. “The offices are usually empty this time of night, and there were no lights on when we got here.”

Jude cautiously opened the door to his office and peered out into the hallway. There was light coming from an office at the other end of the hall. He pulled his head back in and closed the door before speaking in a low voice. “Weren’t the doors to Oscar’s office closed when we got here?”

“Yeah, why?”

“They’re open now, and the light’s on.”

Zero swore under his breath. “Jelena, claiming the throne, no doubt.”

“We can take the stairs at this end of the hall,” Jude said.

Zero nodded his agreement. Jude grabbed his briefcase and turned off the light before poking his head back out. When he saw no one, and was sure that no one would see them, he stepped out of the office, with Zero at his back. They were making their way silently down the hallway to the stairs when Jude heard another sound. He stopped.

“Did you hear that?”

“Yes,” Zero said. “Keep going.”

“It sounded like someone was hurt.”

“Couldn’t happen to a more deserving person,” Zero said bitterly.

“What if it’s not Jelena? What if it’s someone else? What if it’s Lionel?”

“You just talked to Lionel,” Zero said. “She’s at Oscar’s house.”

“Lionel never stays where you put her,” Jude said. “What if she thought there was something in the office that could help her, help us?” He shoved the briefcase into Zero’s chest and Zero reflexively grabbed it. “I’ve got to check; I’ll be right back.”

“The hell you will,” Zero muttered under his breath, and Jude could feel his presence right behind him as he turned and made his way back the way they’d just come. One step away from the open doorway to Oscar’s office, Jude paused to gather his bearings, and then he poked his head around the doorframe.

Jelena, who’d been looking down the length of her body at the blood pooling between her fingers, raised her eyes to the doorway when she saw or sensed movement there. Her eyes held fear, but there was also anger, and defiance, and hate, which appeared to be giving her strength.

“Oh my god,” Jude said, when his mind finally made sense of the scene before him. He took a step into the office on automatic. He knew he had to do something, but his brain didn’t seem to be firing on all cylinders. The sight of Jelena lying on the floor, bleeding, sent him into a shocked daze he didn’t pull out of until Jelena made another sound of pain, and then bit her lip as if even now she hated to show any weakness.

Jude scanned the room for something he could use to staunch the blood flow, and when he didn’t see anything more useful than a couch pillow and Jelena’s purse, he quickly took off his suit jacket. Jude slipped the phone out of the inside pocket and tossed it to Zero, who caught it one-handed.

“Call 911,” Jude said as he went to his knees, folding the jacket up and pressing it to the wound right over Jelena’s own hand.

“Do we have to?” Zero said dispassionately. “If we let her bleed out it would solve all our problems.”

“Yes, we have to,” Jude said, without giving a moment’s consideration to Zero’s suggestion. No more than a second, anyway.

“I’d do that to you,” Jelena said in a pained hiss.

“Shut up,” Jude said. “Save your strength. And also, stop antagonizing the only person in the room with a hand free to call an ambulance.”

Jelena’s eyes rolled to Jude. “This doesn’t change anything; I’m still going to trade him. And fire you.”

“I know,” Jude said.

“If it was only Oscar, I’d keep you around just to piss him off.” Jelena coughed and her face paled with the pain of it.

“Jesus, stop talking,” Jude said. He tuned in to Zero for a moment, whose voice had just gone high. “No, I don’t fucking know if the shooter is still in the building! The arena’s a big place!” Their eyes met, and Zero stepped further into the room and closed both doors.

“Gone,” Jelena said weakly. “Coward.”

“You’ll forgive me if I don’t take your word for it,” Zero said to Jelena, and then into the phone, “Yeah, she’s conscious and able to speak. For the moment.” The last carried a double meaning that Jude hoped only he and Jelena were aware of. Zero lowered the phone. “Someone needs to go down and let them in.”

“Okay,” Jude said.

“I don’t want to leave you here alone. What if the shooter does come back?”

“He won’t,” Jude said with more certainty than he felt. “We’ll be fine.”

“For the record, I only care about you remaining fine,” Zero said to Jude.

Jelena found the strength to give Zero the finger with the hand that wasn’t trapped beneath Jude’s suit jacket.

Zero took out his own phone and slipped it into Jude’s shirt pocket. “I need to keep this one. Call me if you need anything.” Zero gave Jude a long look before opening the door.

Once they were alone, Jude turned his attention back to Jelena. She was looking up at him as if she was trying to figure him out. “What? No, never mind, don’t talk.”

Jelena’s eyelids fell closed and Jude panicked. He took one hand off the jacket compress and touched his fingers to her throat. Her eyes fluttered open.

“Not . . . dead . . . yet.”

Jude noticed that there was blood pooling on the floor beneath Jelena. It seemed like too much to be coming from the wound, especially with pressure on it. “Wait, are you . . . I need to check your back. This is probably gonna hurt.”

Jude tried to be careful when he slipped his hand beneath Jelena to probe her back for an exit wound, but she had to bite off a scream when he jostled her. Jude withdrew his hand and put it back onto the jacket. “I don’t know whether it’s good or bad that there’s no exit wound,” Jude said.

“Lionel,” Jelena said, and Jude’s first horrible thought was that she was accusing Lionel of shooting her. “Loyal. Why you got’ go.”

“You’re assuming I’d want to stay in LA without Zero,” Jude said, but Jelena had finally passed out.

~*~

Things seemed to move quickly after that. The police showed up to clear the arena, and the EMTs rushed in and took over Jelena’s care. Jude fell back onto the floor, out of the way, and watched them work as if he’d been dropped into some kind of nightmare. When they took Jelena away, the only things they left behind were the wrappers from the supplies they’d had to use on her, and Jude’s partially folded jacket lying in a pool of her blood.

Zero knelt down beside Jude. He rubbed a comforting hand over Jude’s shoulders. “Hey,” Zero said softly. “The police want to talk to us.”

Jude couldn’t hold back a hysterical laugh. At Zero’s worried look, he explained. “I was just thinking that this day couldn’t get any worse.”

“That was your first mistake,” Zero said. He forced a lightness into his tone, but his hand was firm on Jude’s shoulder, his thumb a warm and soothing pressure against his neck.

Jude nodded. He became aware of an officer standing in the doorway. Keeping them safe, or making sure they didn’t leave before a detective could come and speak with them?

“Where’s the briefcase?” Jude said, keeping his voice low.

“I put it in the car before they got here,” Zero said.

“Good thinking,” Jude said. He twisted to get off the floor – he didn’t want to be at a disadvantage when the detective came in – and Zero took his arm to give him a hand up. Jude leaned into Zero before speaking. “Don’t say a word if it sounds like they’re looking at us as suspects. I mean it. They can’t make us talk, and if they push we request a lawyer.”

Zero nodded, then glanced over Jude’s shoulder and slowly straightened his shoulders, pulling his head away from Jude’s. Jude turned and saw a detective approaching them. He didn’t recognize the man, but was glad to see that it wasn’t Detective Harris.

“I’m Detective Mallory,” the detective said. “I know tonight has probably been distressing for you both, but it helps if we can get as much information as soon as possible. Is it alright if I ask you some questions?”

“Yes, of course,” Jude said, not fooled by the detective’s demeanor. “Anything we can do to help.”

“Let’s start with your names,” Mallory said as he withdrew a small spiral notebook from the inside pocket of his jacket.

Jude gave the detective their names. Mallory glanced at Zero when that was the only name Jude gave him, but he didn’t remark on it, just wrote it down. Jude told the detective their connection with the Devils organization, but when he asked for contact information, Jude gave him the name of the Devils’ in-house counsel.

“We’re going to do this the hard way?” Mallory said as he wrote it down.

“Not at all,” Jude said. “We’ll do everything we can to help you find out who shot Jelena, but you’ll have to forgive us if we’re wary of the LAPD getting a little . . . enthusiastic with their investigation.”

“Why don’t you begin helping,” Mallory said, putting an emphasis on the word and showing the first signs of not being quite as friendly as he was pretending to be, “by telling me what happened tonight?”

“We were in my office,” Jude said. “We were just getting ready to leave when . . . .”

“What were you doing here so late?” Mallory said, trying to wrest back control of the questioning.

“Devils’ business,” Jude said, and then continued without giving Mallory a chance to ask any follow-up questions. “We were just getting ready to leave when we heard what sounded like a door being slammed. We didn’t think anything of it until we heard another sound, like a groan.”

“Back to the door slamming,” Mallory said. “Weren’t you surprised that anyone else was working this late?”

“Yes,” said Zero, slipping his hand into Jude’s. “Which is why we hoped no one saw us when we left.” He smirked at Jude, and even though Jude knew the inference Zero hoped the detective would draw was a complete fabrication, he couldn’t help blushing.

Mallory dropped his gaze to their joined hands. Before he could ask another question, Zero took over. “We investigated the sound, found Jelena lying on the floor trying to hold her blood inside her body.” Zero flung his free arm out to indicate the spot between the two chairs not far from where they stood. “Jude here did the Good Samaritan thing while I called 911.”

“Did Ms. Howard say anything that would help us identify the shooter?”

“Yes,” Jude said, then shook his head, “but no. She said something, just two words, but it isn’t helpful.”

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that,” Mallory said disdainfully.

“She said ‘gone’ when the 911 operator asked if the shooter was still in the building and Zero freaked out.”

“I didn’t freak out,” Zero said.

“And then ‘coward’. She didn’t elaborate. She really wasn’t able to,” Jude said, remembering Jelena’s warm blood on his hands. “She shouldn’t have been wasting her strength on talking, anyway.”

“Even if it would help us find the shooter?” Mallory said.

“Not at the expense of her own life,” Jude said.

Mallory jotted down another note in his book. “Did she say anything else?”

“Not about the shooter,” Jude said.

Mallory gave Jude a considering look. “But she spoke to you.”

“Yes.”

“And you’re refusing to tell me what she said.”

“It was personal. If Jelena chooses to tell you when she wakes up, I’ll be happy to corroborate, but until then, no, I’m not going to tell you the specifics of our conversation.”

“We could continue this downtown,” Mallory said, all pretense of good cop now gone.

“Are you charging me with something?” Jude said.

“Not yet,” Mallory said, making it sound like a threat. “But you’re a material witness . . . .”

“As we just told you, we didn’t see anything, we merely found Jelena after she was shot.” Jude turned to Zero. “I don’t suppose you called the attorney?”

It was an idle comment, meant to show the detective that Jude knew his rights, but to Jude’s surprise, Zero said, “I did one better.”

Just then there was a commotion in the hallway. “Of course you’re going to let me in to see my step-son! Do you have any idea who I am?”

Jude’s eyes widened. “You called Lionel?”

Zero’s grin reminded Jude of a shark.

~*~

Detective Mallory, as well as the poor officer standing in the hallway, never stood a chance. Lionel waltzed into the office, followed by Pete. Her already pale features went even more pale when she saw the blood.

Lionel enveloped Jude in a hug. When he reflexively raised his arms to return the hug, he saw the blood staining the cuffs of his shirt, his hands. “Leave this to me,” Lionel said quietly into Jude’s ear.

Jude could do nothing when the crime scene investigators bagged his suit jacket, but when Mallory asked for his shirt as well, Lionel very pleasantly told them that Jude would be happy to turn it over when they presented a warrant for it.

Lionel whisked them out of the arena, not even letting Jude stop to wash the blood off of his hands. “Leave as little evidence behind for them as possible.”

“You do realize that I didn’t shoot Jelena, right?” Jude said.

Lionel waved her hand. “It doesn’t matter.”

Pete, who was still trailing Lionel, sputtered.

“I meant to them,” Lionel said with a gesture that Jude thought was supposed to indicate the police. She gave Jude a look that said it was only half the truth. She really wouldn’t have cared if Jude had been the one to shoot Jelena. In fact, she might have thrown him a party.

“And how do you know all this?” Zero said.

“Remember that murder mystery I did a couple years ago?” Lionel said to Jude.

Jude remembered the movie. It had been more like eight years ago, but Jude didn’t point that out, just nodded.

“I spent some time with a police department, did some ride-alongs, watched an autopsy, things like that.”

“Threw up,” Pete added.

“I didn’t throw up,” Lionel said. “I was a complete professional.” She considered that for a moment. “Well, maybe a little bit in my mouth.”

“Your point?” Zero said impatiently.

“My point,” Lionel said sharply, “is that I learned some things about police procedure.”

They separated when they reached the cars. Jude slid into the passenger seat of his Porsche and let Zero drive. He laid his hands on his legs, palms up, and just stared at them. Zero remained silent, as if he knew that Jude needed some time to process.

Jude sighed when he got out of the car and saw Lionel pull into an open spot further down the street. “Go on ahead with the briefcase,” he told Zero over the roof of the car. “Put it in the bedroom.”

Jude walked towards Lionel and Pete, covering for Zero who grabbed the briefcase and hurried up the walkway to unlock the door. “You didn’t have to come over,” Jude said, knowing even as he spoke the words that they wouldn’t be enough to deter Lionel.

“Of course we did!” Lionel said. “I couldn’t leave you all alone to deal with this.”

“He’s not alone,” Zero said, reappearing. He put his arm around Jude’s shoulder. “Come on in and wash up, Jude.”

Jude let Zero lead him into the apartment and steer him towards the bathroom. Once he was alone, Jude just stared at his reflection in the mirror above the sink. Now that it was all over, the shakes set in.

There had been a shooter in the arena, and if they’d stepped out of his office a moment sooner, they might’ve run into him. Or her. Either one of them, or both of them, could’ve been shot. The image of Zero bleeding out and Jude pressing on the wound, trying, and failing, to keep the blood inside him, flashed through Jude’s mind and made him shudder.

Jude let the water run in the sink until it was hot, and then he scrubbed his hands. He tugged at the tie and tore at the buttons to get the blood-stained shirt off, and then scrubbed his wrists. His hands were red and raw when he was done, but Jude still didn’t feel clean.

Jude turned on the shower and fumbled with slacks and socks. He stepped into the tub and just let the warm water run over him. When he no longer felt cold to the bone, Jude soaped up a cloth and washed. He stood under the spray even after it had rinsed away all the soap, and considered spending the night in there.

Eventually he turned off the water. The door was cracked to let out the steam, his soiled clothes had been removed, and Zero sat on the closed lid of the toilet when Jude pushed back the shower curtain. Zero stood up and enveloped Jude in the bath towel he’d been holding.

“Lionel’s out there,” Zero said, as if he needed an excuse to be in the bathroom with Jude that wasn’t admitting to wanting to take care of him.

“I’ll be fine,” Jude said, and let Zero rub the cotton over his arms and back.

“I know you will,” Zero said, but he didn’t relinquish the task of drying off Jude, and even attempted to hold the sweat pants for Jude to step into. Jude drew the line at needing someone to dress him, and managed to pull on the sweats and t-shirt without help.

Lionel and Pete were arguing about something in the living room when Jude and Zero stepped out of the bathroom, but they stopped when they saw them. “Jude,” Lionel said, sounding relieved, then, “What happened tonight?”

Jude told them about hearing the gunshot and finding Jelena.

“What were you doing there so late?” Pete said. There was no accusation in it, but the question drew Jude’s attention to him.

“You backed Jelena’s power play,” Jude said. When Pete hesitated, Jude went on. “It’s the only way you’d know about the minority shareholders.”

“Yes,” Pete said. “I wanted Oscar out of the Devils organization.”

“And me,” Jude said. “And Lionel.”

“Pete?” Lionel said, sounding hurt.

“Oscar was a miserable excuse for a human being, you all know that,” Pete said. “So yes, I wanted him out. And you,” he said to Lionel. “You were going after Sloane too hard.”

Lionel looked like Pete had hit her. She gave Jude a stunned look when he said, “That’s not the point.” Jude ignored it. “Did you know that Jelena was going to trade Zero?”

“No!” Pete said. “I had no idea, and I wouldn’t have supported the move if I had known. I don’t like you very much,” he said to Zero, “but the team needs you. Especially now that we’re down Terrence.”

“Making sure that trade doesn’t happen is the only thing I care about,” Jude said.

“Jude,” Zero said, his voice cracking.

“What would you be willing do to do make sure it doesn’t?” Jude said to Pete.

“Nothing illegal,” Pete said. Jude waited, and finally Pete sighed and said, “What do you need me to do?”

“I need information,” Jude said. “And for you to keep your mouth shut about what you hear here tonight.”

Pete studied Jude, and then nodded.

Jude nodded in return, and hoped he didn’t look as relieved as he felt. He gave Zero a look, and Zero went to the bedroom to retrieve the briefcase.

“I’m going to need coffee,” Jude said.

“Don’t look at me,” Lionel said. “I don’t know how to make coffee.”

Pete sighed and headed for the kitchen. Lionel winked at Jude, though her heart wasn’t really in it, and then followed Pete.

Jude ran his hand through his hair. There was so much to do, and so little time. Jelena would not let a bullet to the stomach slow her down for long. She’d be running the Devils from her hospital bed the moment she woke up after surgery.

Jude turned towards Zero when he returned with the briefcase. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Zero said. He kept hold of the briefcase when Jude reached for it, and used it to draw Jude into an embrace.

Jude remained stiff for a moment, and then he let himself relax. He brought his free arm around Zero’s waist and buried his face in his neck.

“We’re okay,” Zero said.

Jude didn’t know whether Zero was talking about the trade, or Jude’s freak out after the fact regarding the shooter, but his response was the same either way. “I know.”

Jude didn’t pull away from Zero until Lionel returned, and even then not very far. “You alright?” he asked Lionel.

Lionel gave Jude a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m fine,” she said. “Pete started the coffee. It should be ready soon.” Her gaze fell on the briefcase between them. “What’s that?”

“This is why we went back to the arena,” Jude said.

Jude moved over to the couch with Zero, who didn’t relinquish his hold on the briefcase until they were both sitting. Lionel took one of the chairs across from them and watched with interest as Jude unlatched the briefcase. Her eyes opened wide when Jude withdrew a pad of paper and a pen he kept inside it. “You went back for a legal pad and a pen?”

Jude gave her a look, and then darted his eyes towards the kitchen. “No, but this is all I need right now,” he said without elaborating. Pete was on board with keeping Zero on the team, but Jude didn’t entirely trust him to keep his word and not tell Jelena what they were doing. He wanted to give Pete as little information as possible in case that happened. He’d already betrayed them once, and his feelings about the Kinkades, all three of them, hadn’t changed in the last few hours, Jude was sure.

Jude made a list of the minority shareholders, placing them in alphabetical order so that Pete couldn’t detect any bias in whatever importance he thought Jude placed on the various board members. “Jelena has the support of the minority shareholders, so she controls the majority of the stock. However, she can’t make a move as big as trading Zero without taking it before the Board,” he explained to Lionel.

“Zero’s not some D-League, no-name player. His trade is going to make the news, and the fact that Jelena is making a personal vendetta against Zero her first play shows that she doesn’t have the team’s best interest at heart. We can use that against her. The shareholders might be on board with ousting Oscar, but they can’t all possibly believe that trading Zero is in the best interest of the Devils.”

Jude looked over when Pete approached carrying a tray of coffee mugs, along with cream, sugar, and spoons. Jude moved all but one magazine to the bottom shelf and indicated that Pete should sit the tray on it. After doing so, Pete balanced himself on the edge of the remaining chair.

Jude fixed one of the mugs to his preference and then took a deep sip. He couldn’t hold back the sigh afterwards, but hoped it was lost in the others fixing their own coffees. “Who are Jelena’s strongest supporters on the Board?” he asked Pete.

Pete looked surprised at the question. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’m serious,” Pete added when everyone else remained silent and stared at him. “It’s like one of those terrorist cells, where each cell only knows what it needs to in order to accomplish its assigned task. Jelena only tells you what she needs you to know in order to do what she wants you to do.”

“And what did Jelena want you to do?” Lionel asked in a tone so sweet you almost didn’t feel the venom as it entered your bloodstream.

“I just needed to back her play with the Board,” Pete said.

“And what did Sloane think about this?” Lionel said.

Pete’s silence was damning.

“Oh my,” Lionel said. “She doesn’t know.”

There was something about Pete’s expression; there was something he wasn’t telling them. “There’s more,” Jude said.

Pete looked at Jude as if he’d like to punch him again. Just like then, Jude pushed. “Does Jelena have something on you?”

“No,” Pete said. He finally reached a decision. “Sloane turned Jelena down; she didn’t trust her.”

“That’s just precious,” Lionel said.

“You did trust her?” Zero said, appalled.

“I trusted her to do what she said she’d do,” Pete said. “Get rid of Oscar.”

“And Jude,” Lionel said. “And me.”

Before the discussion could get derailed further, Jude pulled them back on track. “The board members,” he said. “If you had to guess, who were the ones the most ‘dissatisfied’ with Oscar’s management?”

“It wasn’t his management so much as the public airing of his dirty laundry,” Pete said. “He gave the Devils a black eye, and the minority shareholders agreed that a takeover from within would be better than a forced sale where they all stood to lose.”

“There wasn’t going to be a forced sale,” Lionel said. “Oscar took care of that. It’s why I got him out of jail.”

“You should’ve left him there,” Pete said.

“Hindsight is always 20/20,” Lionel said.

“Foresight should’ve been 20/20 where Oscar is concerned,” Pete rebutted. “Besides, Oscar may have managed to call off the League this time, but it’s only a matter of time before something else comes to light and the League is forced to deal with him.”

“Who?” Jude said again.

Pete turned his attention back to Jude and sighed. “This is just a guess.” Jude gave Pete a slight nod, accepting the caveat. Pete glanced at the list and read of three names. “Benjamin Harris, Susan Hastings, and Wendell Johnson.”

Jude put stars by each of their names. “What are your thoughts on the others?”

Pete shook his head. “I’ve always thought that Marcus Douglas was Oscar’s man, Thomas Heller always waits to see which way the wind is blowing, and George Pullman considers himself a lady’s man, so he might be taken in by a pretty face. But you know that Jelena wouldn’t have made her move if she wasn’t certain of her power base.”

“She didn’t expect anybody to fight back,” Jude said distractedly as he studied the list of names. “Alright,” he finally said. “Pete, I need you to approach the three shareholders you mentioned as being Jelena’s strongest supporters.” He pointed to the starred names.

“And tell them _what_?” Pete said.

“Tell them that you backed Jelena’s play before you knew she planned to trade Zero. Tell them it’s a bad idea. Tell them it’s personal, and not good business. I just need you to prime the pump for me. I need them to know that Coach Davenport doesn’t think the team could stand to lose Zero,” Jude said.

Jude tossed the pen onto the pad and pushed his hands through his hair.

“Are you alright?” Lionel said worriedly.

Jude dropped his hands. “Yeah, sorry.”

Zero rubbed Jude’s back, and Jude leaned into the touch.

“You need to get some rest,” Lionel said.

“Yeah, I think I do,” Jude said. “Do you want to spent the night here? The couch isn’t the _most_ uncomfortable thing I’ve slept on.”

“No,” Lionel said quickly. “But thank you. I’m going back to the house.”

“You can’t go back there!” Jude said, though he wasn’t sure Lionel heard it over Zero and Pete saying variations of the same thing.

Zero extended a hand towards Lionel. “You can stay at my place.”

“Thank you, but no,” Lionel said. “Oscar isn’t getting rid of me this easily. I’m going to make his life a living hell.”

“As opposed to making sure he went to jail?” Jude said.

“That’s going to look like a picnic compared to what I’m going to do to him.”

Jude walked around the table to give Lionel a hug goodbye. “I really don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Trust me,” Lionel said. “I know what I’m doing.”

“I hope so.”

Jude stood in the middle of the living room while Zero showed Lionel and Pete out. After they’d left, Zero shut and locked the door, then turned around and looked at Jude.

“What?” Jude said.

Zero raised his eyebrows. “What was that all about?”

Jude didn’t bother trying to keep it a secret from Zero; they were in this together, after all. “I needed to keep Pete busy. And distracted.”

“While you do what?” Zero said.

“While I concentrate on the board members that matter.”

“Like Marcus.”

“Like Marcus,” Jude agreed. “I’m positive that Jelena didn’t tell any of them about her plans to trade you, and I can’t imagine they’d be thrilled to lose a player of your caliber, especially since it’s personal rather than good business. We just need someone with the balls to stand up to her.”

“That doesn’t help you, though,” Zero said.

“First we make sure you stay in LA,” Jude said. “Then we worry about me.” Jude turned his head and looked at the pad and pen he’d left lying on the coffee table. He’d been putting on a show to hasten Lionel and Pete’s departure, but it hadn’t all been an act. His energy was running low, but there was so much to do . . . .

Zero caught Jude’s wrist. “Tomorrow,” he said, as if he’d read Jude’s mind. “It’s too late to call anyone tonight, and you need a clear head.”

Zero was right. Jude had been gung-ho about getting started on at least reviewing his notes on the board members, but after finding Jelena bleeding out on the floor, it was all he could do to put one foot in front of the other. And Zero was right about it being late, and him needing a clear head to deal with the shareholders.

“Yeah,” Jude said. “Alright.”

“Come on,” Zero said, tugging on Jude’s wrist.

Jude started to walk past the coffee table, but the briefcase propped against the couch caught his eye. “Wait. Could you put the briefcase back where you hid it before?”

“Of course,” Zero said. He released Jude’s hand to reach for the briefcase.

“I’ll just . . . .” Jude bent to set the mugs onto the tray and pick it up.

Zero gave Jude a look, but he didn’t say anything about Jude being anal, just nodded and took the briefcase into the bedroom. Jude stood and watched Zero for a moment, then shook himself out of it. He carried the tray to the kitchen and set it on the counter beside the sink. He emptied the mugs and creamer, and rinsed them out. He was staring at the sugar, wondering whether he should put it back into the container, or just dump it, when Zero stepped into the kitchen.

“Leave it,” Zero said. “I’ll take care of it tomorrow.”

Jude would normally have insisted on washing the mugs and spoons – he hated leaving dirty dishes in the sink – but the fact that he’d been stymied by the question of what to do with the sugar decided him. “Yeah, alright.”

If Zero was concerned by Jude’s easy capitulation, he didn’t comment on it, just led Jude out of the kitchen and through the living room to the bedroom, flipping off lights as they went. They brushed their teeth and got under the covers.

Zero arranged them so that Jude’s back was against his front. Jude rested his hand on the arm curled around his middle. They didn’t spoon often – Zero was a restless sleeper and Jude ran hot – but when they did it was most often Jude curling himself around Zero. It said a lot that Zero thought Jude needed to be the little spoon this night. It said a lot more that Jude didn’t argue with him.

“Hey,” Zero said, voice low in Jude’s ear.

“What?”

“I’m glad you’re on my team.”

Jude managed a small smile, though it took him a few moments to put voice to the thought in his head. “Zude.”

“Yeah,” Zero said, sounding pleased.

The last thing Jude knew was the press of Zero’s lips to the back of his neck, and then there was nothing.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There is a brief mention of a newborn baby with an illness.

Jude was already up and working when Zero crossed the hall to the bathroom. He gave Jude a look, but continued on without saying anything. It wasn’t until after he’d fixed himself a cup of coffee and settled into the chair opposite where Jude was sat on the couch, that he spoke.

“You’re up early,” Zero said, reaching behind himself to adjust the pillow at his back.

“Woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. My mind was whirling.” Jude circled the pen near his temple to illustrate.

Zero glanced at the pad, where the pages were filled with notes, some scratched out, others with arrows connecting one idea to another. It probably only made sense to Jude. “You’ve been busy.”

“Yeah,” Jude said. He’d been up for a couple hours, going over his own notes on the shareholders, coming up with plans, refining some, discarding others.

“Tell me,” Zero said.

Which was exactly what Jude needed now – someone to bounce the ideas jangling around in his head off of so he could figure out if they held any merit. “First thing is to make sure you stay in LA, which means Marcus.”

Zero leaned forward. “Is Marcus enough?”

“No. But he’ll be influential in getting George Pullman and Thomas Heller in line.”

“What if that’s not enough?” Zero said.

“That’s where Stafford comes in,” Jude said.

“Stafford Bilcheck,” Zero said. “Your P.I. What’s he gonna be looking for?”

Jude shrugged. “Anything. A mistress, a daughter who needs help with tuition, a gambling debt . . . . Anything we can use for leverage.”

“Blackmail,” Zero said.

“Leverage sounds better,” Jude said. “And hopefully it won’t come to that.”

“But if it does,” Zero pressed.

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Jude said. He waited for Zero to tell him that he was going too far, that this isn’t who he was.

Instead Zero leaned back in the chair and said, “And after we’ve cemented my position on the team?”

Jude remembered that Zero knew exactly who he was; knew about the coke, even knew that he’d threatened Raquel with deportation in order to protect a man who didn’t care about him. Who’d never cared about him. “Then we cement my position with the Board, and undermine Jelena’s power base,” Jude said.

Zero gave Jude a heated look.

“What?”

“It’s so hot when you go all confident and powerful.”

Jude glanced down at himself. He didn’t look very confident or powerful in his day old boxers and Zero’s undershirt he’d grabbed in the dark. Jude voiced the thought.

“Yeah,” Zero said. “You should probably take a shower and put on one of your power suits.”

Jude gave Zero a look. “You gonna wash my back?”

“Among other things,” Zero said.

They still had a lot of work to do, but Jude couldn’t resist Zero when he got in a playful mood like this. Jude’s belly flipped over when Zero ignored the remainder of his coffee and rose to his feet. He didn’t resist when Zero pulled him off the couch and into his arms, planting a kiss on his lips before turning him around and aiming him towards the bathroom by planting a smack on his ass.

It was still early enough that they didn’t need to rush, so Jude could enjoy Zero helping him get undressed, with a lot of unnecessary touching; pushing him back against the bathroom sink for a long, slow kiss and grind; and grabbing Jude’s hips when he bent over the tub to turn on the water for the shower, grinding his cock into Jude’s ass.

Jude forgot about the water temperature and gripped the side of the tub to brace himself as Zero twisted his hips and worked his cock between Jude’s cheeks. “You’d let me, wouldn’t you?” Zero said, his voice strained. “Do you just like this, bent over with your legs spread for me.”

In reply, Jude slid his feet out so his legs were spread even wider. Zero made a choked off sound. “You’re gonna do it, aren’t you?” Zero said. “You’re gonna beat Jelena at her own game.”

Jude figured it would be more of a draw, but he didn’t think now was the time to be pedantic. Instead he said, “ _We’re_ going to.”

Zero groaned and came all over Jude’s back and ass, spitting ribbons of come over his skin. Jude waited until Zero’s cock stopped pulsing, and then he straightened up, hitting the lever to send the water to the showerhead as he did so.

“‘S not my fault,” Zero said when Jude gave him a raised eyebrow.

Jude raised his eyebrow further, as if to say, then whose fault is it?

“You have a great ass, and you know how much watching you be all competent turns me on.”

“So it’s my fault you didn’t even last until we got in the shower?” Jude said.

“Sounds about right,” Zero said. “On the plus side, you’ll have my undivided attention now.”

They stepped into the tub and Zero backed Jude up until the spray hit his shoulders. He swiped his hand across Jude’s lower back to help the water wash away his come. Under the pretense of being thorough, Zero slid his fingers between Jude’s cheeks and rubbed the pads over his hole.

Jude groaned when Zero pressed the tip of one water-slicked finger inside him. “What are you doing?”

Zero gave Jude a look. “Do we need to have a remedial sex ed class?”

Jude laughed and smacked Zero’s arm. “No, I just meant . . . .” He gave Zero’s spent cock a glance. “. . . you’re out of commission, so . . . .”

“Yeah, well.” Zero pressed his finger in further and Jude closed his teeth on his bottom lip to bite back a moan. Zero put his mouth to Jude’s ear. “I know how much you like to have your ass filled.”

Zero wiggled his finger and closed his teeth on Jude’s ear when Jude moved against him, sliding his cock along Zero’s hipbone.

“You’ve got such a greedy little hole . . . .”

Jude didn’t know whether it was the dirty talk, or the second finger, but it only took a few more thrusts before he came, painting stripes across Zero’s stomach with his release.

“Seems like you didn’t last very long, either,” Zero said, and Jude’s huff of laughter turned into a groan when his cock pulsed one last time.

~*~

Zero had wanted to sit in on Jude’s meetings, but Jude had insisted that he treat the day as if it was any other day and go to practice.

“Business as usual?” Zero said with a bitter twist to his lips.

“Yes,” Jude had said, but he’d stopped Zero and given him a kiss before they went their separate ways at the arena.

“That wasn’t business as usual,” Zero called after Jude.

Jude’s smile lasted until he got off the elevator and saw the crime scene tape forming a large X over the closed doors to Oscar’s, currently Jelena’s, office. He was glad Zero wasn’t with him when he stepped into his office and found Terrence waiting for him.

Jude stopped in his tracks, the blood draining out of his face. “Jelena . . . ?”

“She’s fine,” Terrence said tightly.

Jude let out a breath. “Thank god.”

“I’m supposed to believe you really care?” Terrence said.

“I wouldn’t say I’m Jelena’s biggest fan,” Jude said, “but that’s a far cry from wanting her dead.”

“It would’ve solved all your problems,” Terrence said.

Instead of saying something that might escalate the encounter, Jude walked past Terrence and set his briefcase on the desk. “What can I do for you, Terrence?”

“The police said you found her,”

“Yes . . . .”

“Did you shoot her?”

“Of course I didn’t shoot her!” Jude said. “If I had, leaving her alive to tell the police was a little short-sighted of me.”

“What about Zero?”

“Zero didn’t shoot her, either.”

“How do you know?”

“Because he was with me all afternoon and evening,” Jude said.

“Speaking of, what were you doing here at the arena last night?”

“You know I’m not going to tell you that,” Jude said. He waited for Terrence to tell him he was fired, but Terrence left after issuing one last threat about what he’d do if he found out Jude or Zero had been involved in the shooting.

Jude frowned as he watched Terrence leave, but he had too much to do that morning to wonder why Terrence hadn’t made good on Jelena’s promise to fire him. In addition to his usual work as EVP of Business Operations, Jude had to make sure that Zero stayed in LA., and deal with the police investigation into Jelena’s shooting.

Jude put Terrence’s visit out of his mind and got down to work. His first phone call was to Stafford. Jude gave him the names of five of the board members, and then reconsidered and gave him two more. Even if Stafford found nothing, or if Jude didn’t have to use it, having whatever information Stafford found would be useful. His second phone call was to Marcus, who agreed to meet him at Pacific Palisades County Club after his ten o’clock match. While Jude waited for ten AM to draw near, he did the work he got paid to do, as well as handling the requests for copies of their surveillance recordings and records of key card entry that came across his desk, which meant a call to their in-house counsel.

Marcus was already inside the country club when Jude showed up. He was having drinks with a group of men Jude didn’t recognize, but he excused himself when he saw Jude arrive.

“I heard about Jelena,” Marcus said as he led Jude to a table in the corner. “How is she doing?”

“I saw Terrence this morning,” Jude said. “He said she was doing well,” he paraphrased.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Marcus said, then got down to business. “I don’t have much time.”

“This won’t take long,” Jude said. “I appreciate you fitting me in.”

“I presume you’re here to talk about Oscar,” Marcus said, initiating the conversation.

“No,” Jude said, and saw the surprise flash in Marcus’ eyes before he masked it. “As far as I’m concerned, Oscar got what he deserved. You know that Oscar disowned me when he found out that I was gay, right? And he wasn’t much of a father before that. I thought I could . . . .” Jude broke off, shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now.”

“I didn’t know that,” Marcus said. “But I’m not surprised. Oscar loved money, and power, and success more than he loved anything else.”

Jude nodded. He knew that now. If he was perfectly honest, he’d known that before, but he hadn’t wanted to believe it. He’d thought that if he just tried hard enough, he could earn Oscar’s respect, his love.

“You’ll still have your job as EVP if I have anything to say about it,” Marcus said.

Jude was struck speechless. “I . . . thank you,” he finally managed to say. “I’m not sure Jelena feels the same way, but I appreciate you saying that. But that’s not why I wanted to talk to you, either.”

Marcus gave Jude a look that said he couldn’t imagine what else they had to discuss.

“Zero.”

Jude could tell he’d surprised Marcus again. “What about Zero?”

“Did you know that Jelena plans to trade him?”

Marcus straightened from his casual lean against the table. “No. Where did you hear this?”

“Jelena told Zero. She said it was a done deal. But from your reaction, I’m guessing she hasn’t brought it before the Board yet.” Jude didn’t wait for Marcus to confirm that. “Jelena holds a grudge against Zero and she’s making the decision based on her personal feelings. This isn’t a move that’s in the best interest of the club.”

“And this isn’t personal for you?” Marcus challenged.

“In a happy coincidence,” Jude said, “what benefits the Devils in this instance also benefits me. If it didn’t,” he added, “I wouldn’t be here right now, and I also wouldn’t bother fighting to keep EVP, because I’d be packing up my apartment to follow Zero to whatever city he landed in.” Jude didn’t mentioned that his concern for Lionel would’ve held him back, at least for a short time.

“What do you want from me?” Marcus said.

“I want you to vote against the trade,” Jude said. “I’m going to speak to the other board members as well, but I think it would mean more coming from you.”

“You mean because I’m not sleeping with Zero,” Marcus said.

Jude tilted his head in agreement.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Marcus said.

“I appreciate it,” Jude said.

~*~

Zero was in Jude’s office when he returned. He set down the sports magazine he’d been leafing through with an undisguised sigh of relief. “How’d your meeting with Marcus go?”

“It went well,” Jude said. “Like I told you before, he thinks you can do no wrong. We’ve got his vote, and he’s promised to speak with the others.”

“So we just wait?” Zero said.

“No. I’m going to speak with Thomas Heller and George Pullman myself, as well. And then after Pete and Marcus soften them up, I’ll meet with the other three. They’ll be tougher nuts to crack.”

“Do you think they’ll listen to you?”

“They’ll wonder, naturally, whether I’m a little bit biased, but they’ll listen to Pete and Marcus. Pete’s shown himself to be a good coach, and they’ll remember his playing days. Marcus didn’t play, but he knows the business and he’s coolheaded. If Pete tells them that you’re an asset to the team, and Marcus tells them it would be a bad business decision to let you go, especially given your previous relationship with Jelena, they’ll listen.”

“If Pete and Marcus can get the job done, then why do you need to meet with them, too?” Zero said. “Won’t that be overkill? I mean, from their point of view.”

“I’m still EVP,” Jude said. “At least for now. I want to gauge just how firmly entrenched they are in Jelena’s camp. Getting them to vote against her on the trade should be a no-brainer; I need to know who might be the hold outs down the line.”

Zero studied Jude. “You’re thinking three steps ahead.”

“Jelena does, so I have to.”

“What’s the plan, then? Broad strokes.”

“Figure out how to get rid of Oscar and still keep a Kinkade on the Board,” Jude said.

“You are so hot to me right now,” Zero said.

Jude laughed, his cheeks heating. “We’re still not having sex in my office.”

“Not today, maybe,” Zero said. He kissed Jude, bid him, “Good luck,” made some innuendo about sweating and pumping iron, and then left to head to the weight room.

As soon as he was alone, Jude made the necessary calls to Thomas Heller and George Pullman. He couldn’t be certain that Marcus had already talked to them, but he couldn’t put it off. He had no idea when Jelena would call for a vote on the trade. Heller was in a meeting, so Jude left a message, and Pullman was out of the office for the day.

Jude was frustrated with his lack of progress when Lionel walked into his office. “How did Oscar get off leash?” he asked.

Lionel paused. “Good morning to you, too, Jude. I made it through the night just fine, thank you for asking.”

“Sorry,” Jude said, sheepish. He walked around the desk and gave Lionel a hug, then gestured towards one of the chairs in front of the desk. He took the other after she sat. “How did last night go?”

“It was quiet,” Lionel said. “Not a sign that Oscar was even at the house. Though I jumped at every sound and didn’t get much sleep.”

Lionel caught Jude studying her face. “The magic of a good cover-up and foundation,” she said.

“The offer still stands,” Jude said.

Lionel raised her eyebrows. “To sleep on your couch? And listen to you and Zero have sex in the other room?”

Jude blushed. “Or to stay at Zero’s place. He meant the offer.”

“I know,” Lionel said. “And I thank you both, but no. I’m going to stick it out. Besides.” She grinned. “The media would have a field day if they found out I was staying at Zero’s place. I can see the blind item now; what infamous basketball player is involved in an illicit affair with his boyfriend’s step-mother, a former A-list actress.”

“You’re not a former anything,” Jude said hotly.

“That’s sweet of you to say,” Lionel said, “but we both know that’s not true. Now, what was it you said when I first walked in?”

“How’d Oscar get off-leash?” Jude repeated the question.

Lionel made a sound that wasn’t quite a laugh. “He found all the evidence of corruption and racketeering that Sloane had dug up on him, which I was holding over his head.”

“Were there copies?” Jude said.

“Yes. He found those, too.”

“All of them?”

“All of them. He even corrupted the files on my hard drive.”

“Was there a copy on there?” Jude said.

Lionel shook her head. “No, everything was hard copy.”

“But Oscar doesn’t know that,” Jude said, the seed of a plan being planted.

“No. It sounded like he believed there were digital files. Why? What are you planning?”

Jude smiled, and it looked more like Oscar’s than he would’ve been comfortable with if he’d known. “I’m going to pull off the bluff of my life. Tell me everything you had on him.”

“Bank accounts showing payments . . . ,” Lionel began, and Jude reached for a pad so he could take notes.

~*~

Heller returned Jude’s call and he spent twenty minutes extolling Zero’s accomplishments on the court and reminding Heller that, not only was he ranked in the top ten in the League, but he’d helped them win a championship the season before. He made the case that Zero was someone the team couldn’t afford to lose, mentioned that Pete and Marcus were against the trade, and threw in the fact that it would look bad when the media brought up Jelena’s previous relationship with Zero as evidence that her first move when she got control of the Devils was based on a personal grudge rather than what was best for the team.

Heller agreed with Jude that the team needed Zero and that a trade would look bad for the organization, but he stopped just short of giving Jude a promise to vote against the trade. Pete had been right, it seemed; Heller would go whichever way the wind blew. Which meant he needed to convince the others that the trade was a bad idea, especially the three board members who Pete guessed were firmly behind Jelena. He hoped Marcus had better luck with Heller, and made a mental note to have Pete talk to him after he’d spoken with the other three.

Jude checked his watch. He wanted to call Stafford to see how his background searches were going, but decided to give him until after his next meeting. Jude took a deep breath to psych himself up for his next move, and then left the Arena for the drive to Sloane’s house.

The look of polite welcome fell off of Sloane’s face and was replaced with annoyance when she answered the knock to find Jude standing on her doorstep. “I don’t have anything to say to you.”

“Two minutes,” Jude said,” and if I haven’t changed your mind, I’ll leave.”

Sloane studied Jude, then said, “Thirty seconds.” She crossed her arms and left Jude standing on the porch.

Jude took a deep breath and began. “I want to take down Oscar.”

Sloane looked skeptical, but intrigued. “You weren’t interested in taking down Oscar before.”

“I know,”Jude said. “I was wrong.”

Sloane pursed her lips, but kept whatever she was thinking to herself. “Jail?” she said.

“No.” Jude shook his head. “The evidence you found is gone, probably destroyed. But I think I can get him out of the Devils, at least.”

“I thought Jelena already did that,” Sloane said, her distaste for Jelena clear in her voice.

“He may not have control right this second, but he’s still a major shareholder,” Jude reminded her. “And as long as he has a foothold, he won’t stop trying to regain control.”

Sloane considered that. “What did you have in mind?”

“A bluff.”

Sloane studied Jude. “Go on.”

“I want him to think I have a copy of the evidence you gathered against him.”

“You want to blackmail him,” Sloane said. “That didn’t work out very well for Lionel. You think he’ll turn over his shares to you?”

“No,” Jude said. “But I don’t need his shares. I just need the right to cast his vote.”

“You want to be his proxy,” Sloane said. “What makes you think I’d want you in control anymore than I wanted Oscar?”

“I know that I did some pretty awful things in pursuit of Oscar’s approval,” Jude said. “And I’m sorry for that. Mostly I’m sorry I ever thought I needed it. Still, I’d like to think that, when compared with Oscar and Jelena, I come out ahead, by a nose, or something.”

Sloane neither agreed nor disagreed with Jude’s assessment. “What would you need from me?” she said.

“I need to know everything you found on Oscar. I need enough detail to fool Oscar into thinking I’ve read the file. And you can’t tell Pete.”

“I thought Pete was helping you,” Sloane said.

“With Zero’s trade,” Jude said. “This is bigger than that, and I can’t take the chance he’ll tell Jelena.”

“I’m not going to lie to Pete,” Sloane said, “but I won’t mention the specifics of our conversation.”

Jude let out a breath. “Thank you.”

“Don’t think this means I like you,” Sloane said. “You’re just the lesser evil right now.”

Jude would take it.

~*~

Jude’s phone rang as he exited the elevator. He answered it quickly when he saw Stafford’s name on the screen.

“Wanna go for a ride?” Jude said when he found Zero in his office.

Zero raised an eyebrow.

“Not that kind of ride,” Jude said, blushing despite the rush he was in to get to Pullman, and the tumble his brain was in.

“George Pullman is at the hospital,” Jude told Zero. “He’s a new grandfather.”

“You’re going to go meet with him at the hospital?”

“I don’t have any other choice,” Jude said. “He’s out of the office all day, according to his Administrative Assistant.”

Zero drove while Jude filled him in on his meetings with Lionel and Sloane.

“What now?” Zero said when Jude was finished.

“Oscar’s taken a pretty big fall,” Jude said. “He’s lost a step, whether it’s age, or because he was in jail for all those months, but he’s lost touch with the other shareholders, or he would’ve seen this coming and taken steps to prevent it. Now that they’ve come out and sided with Jelena, they can’t back down, not for Oscar. But they might for someone else.”

“You,” Zero said.

“Me. And it all hinges on Marcus. He likes you, and he doesn’t seem to think I’m a complete idiot, like Oscar did . . . .”

“Oscar was the idiot,” Zero interjected.

Jude gave a little shake of his head to let Zero know he’d heard him, but he didn’t stop to address the comment. “If I control Oscar’s shares, and Marcus votes with me, we’ve got a majority again.”

“And if Marcus falls your way, some of the others might follow suit.”

“That would be a nice bonus,” Jude said. “I’m going to try and sell Oscar on the notion that there will still be a Kinkade on the Board, it just won’t be him.”

“I’m sure that’ll go over well.”

“Oscar will still own the stock,” Jude said. There was nothing he could do about that; no matter what kind of dirt he had on Oscar (and especially since he didn’t have any hard evidence at all), Jude was pretty sure he couldn’t convince him to actually part with ownership in the Devils. “He can retire from the day-to-day running of the Devils, or face, well, jail time and a forced sale his double dealing can’t save him from. Even though I can’t follow through on that threat.”

“It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to pull over for mutual hand jobs before visiting someone in the hospital, would it?” Zero said.

Jude’s belly flipped and his laugh was breathless, but he managed to say, “No, probably not.”

Zero gave him a look. “That wasn’t a ‘no’.”

Jude smiled. “It wasn’t a ‘yes’, either.” He laid his hand on Zero’s leg just above his knee, and Zero dropped his hand to squeeze Jude’s fingers.

~*~

They followed the signs to the ‘Birthing Center and Maternity Care’ floor, making one stop before getting on the elevator. Jude’s heart kept doing odd little flip flops whenever his gaze fell on Zero’s hand holding the stuffed pink bunny they’d purchased in the gift shop. The nurse at the desk confirmed that George Pullman was visiting his daughter-in-law, so they got coffee and settled in the waiting room.

“What’s on your mind?” Zero said. “You’re antsier than usual,” he went on when Jude gave him a look.

Jude flushed. He reached over and touched Zero’s hand. “Have you ever thought about it? Kids?”

Zero looked at their hands, the bunny’s floppy pink ear covering his fingers. “No. You?”

Jude shook his head. “No.”

“But?”

Jude raised his eyes to Zero’s.

Zero’s eyebrows went up. “Really, Jude?” He indicated the waiting room, the bunny. “This is doing it for you?”

“No! I mean, I’m not suggesting we hit the baby store tomorrow and take one home. Just maybe we . . . start thinking about it as a possibility? For one day in the future? You already bought the house, and I wouldn’t mind holding a baby with your nose.”

Zero’s expression went heated, but he just said, “My nose?”

“My hair,” Jude said.

Zero gave Jude a hard kiss. “What kind of maternity leave policy does the Devils offer?”

Jude huffed a laugh. “I’d have to look into it.” He was smiling when Zero kissed him again. They broke apart when someone else entered the waiting room. Jude recognized the man as George Pullman’s son, Robert. He squeezed Zero’s hand and rose from the chair.

“Robert Pullman?”

Robert looked at Jude. “Yes?”

Jude held out his hand and Robert automatically took it. “Even without the resemblance to George I’d have recognized you as the new father by the harried look,” Jude said with a smile. “I’m Jude Kinkade, EVP of the Devils, and this is Zero, one of our star players,” Jude added when Zero joined them. “We just wanted to offer our congratulations on the birth of your daughter.”

Robert took the stuffed bunny Zero handed to him with an air of confusion, and he shook Zero’s hand by rote. “Thank you,” he said.

Just then, George Pullman joined them and Robert said, “Dad,” in a voice that sounded overwhelmed. He held out the bunny as if he didn’t know what to do with it, and George gently took it from him with one hand as he squeezed his son’s shoulder with the other.

“Lydia’s awake,” George said. “You go see her, I’ll make the coffee run.”

“Okay,” Robert said, and then he walked away without another look at them, as if he’d forgotten they were even there.

Before Jude could figure out what was going on, George said, “I don’t have time to talk about Oscar right now.”

“I didn’t come here to talk about Oscar,” Jude said. He gestured towards the stuffed bunny. “We just wanted to offer our congratulations to you and your family.”

George dropped his gaze to the pink fluff in his hand and stared as if he wasn’t seeing it.

“George,” Jude began, thinking that now might be his last chance to bring up the trade, but George interrupted him.

“She’s got a hole in her heart. The baby.”

“Oh my god,” Jude said, struck by the awfulness of it. “George, I’m so sorry.” He reached out to squeeze George’s arm in sympathy, but he’d be lying if he said his brain hadn’t suddenly switched gears and was wondering whether this was something they could use to their advantage.

“Is there anything we can do?” Zero said.

George raised his eyes. “For a price, you mean?”

“No,” Zero said. “We wouldn’t leverage the life of a child. The surgery . . . ?”

“Insurance will cover it,” George said.

“Alright, good,” Zero said. “I wasn’t kidding before, if there’s anything we can do . . . .” Zero held out his hand, “Jude, you got a card on you?”

Jude withdrew a business card from his wallet. Zero took it from him and used the pen he kept in a pocket for autographs to write both their cell numbers on the back before passing it on to George. “Call us,” Zero said. “Any time. And . . . you know I don’t really believe in the man upstairs, or prayer, but I’ll say some words for you and your family just in case someone is listening.”

“Thank you,” George said, though Jude thought it was more for the offer of a prayer than the card. He gave them both a nod of thanks, then turned to leave. He paused at the door. “What did you want to talk about, if not Oscar?”

Jude didn’t bother denying it. “Zero,” he said immediately. “Jelena plans to trade him.”

George looked surprised. “I take it you’re opposed,” he said with a hint of dry humor.

“Very,” Jude said. “I’m still EVP, for the moment, anyway, and it’s not in the best interests of the . . . .”

George held up a hand to silence Jude, then he gave then another nod and left.

Jude let out a disgusted breath. “Well, that could’ve gone better.” He turned to Zero and face planted into his shoulder. “Thank you,” he said, his voice muffled.

Zero’s arms came up around Jude. “You’re welcome. For what?”

“For not letting me do something reprehensible that would prove just how much Oscar’s son I am,” Jude said.

“You wouldn’t have,” Zero said.

“I thought about it,” Jude protested.

“Not the same thing,” Zero said.

~*~

On the drive home, Jude called an attorney he’d worked with when he’d still been a junior agent at the firm. The conversation was short, and Jill Slater promised to have the document Jude requested ready for him by the next afternoon. While he was on the phone with Jill, his cell beeped softly with a text alert. He checked his messages after disconnecting the call.

“Marcus wants us to meet him at Pacific Palisades Country Club for drinks tonight at eight.”

“I wonder what he wants,” Zero said.

“Probably to tell me how poorly his meetings with the other shareholders went,” Jude said, feeling pessimistic after how things had gone down with George Pullman.

“He could’ve done that in a phone call. He wouldn’t drag both of us to the country club unless it was big.”

Jude felt a stirring of excitement. “You think it’s good news?”

“Only one way to find out,” Zero said.

They stopped for dinner on the way home. Jude was too nervous to eat, so they ended up taking most of it home with them. Zero took a shower when they got home, while Jude turned on the television. He wanted to see what the local news channels were saying about Jelena’s shooting, and to see if her take-over of the Devils had leaked yet.

“What does the news have to say?” Zero said.

Jude had heard the water turn off, but he hadn’t really been paying attention. “Nothing about the take-over, yet, and only speculation about the shooting.” Jelena must’ve been shot before she could announce her coup to the press.

“The police released a statement, but it was one of those generic ‘we’re investigating every angle’ . . . . ones,” Jude finished, stumbling over the last word when he glanced over to see Zero standing in the entrance to the hallway. The towel he’d tucked around his waist was riding low on his hips, and the longer strands of hair were dripping onto his shoulders.

“Good. You’re gonna change out of those clothes before we go meet Marcus, aren’t you?”

Jude had to swallow before he could speak. “Yeah.”

Zero slowly pulled the corner of the towel and let it fall open. “You should do that now,” Zero said, and then he turned around, making sure Jude got a good look at him in all his naked glory before he started down the hall to the bedroom.

Jude stared after Zero, unable to move at first. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe this was real, that he got to have this. He slipped his hand into the front pocket of his slacks and curled his fingers around the key that Zero had offered him just a few days ago.

Jude smiled to himself. He stood and followed Zero to the bedroom, pausing in the doorway. Zero sat on the end of the bed, leaning back on hands braced on the mattress behind him. His legs were spread to show off the stiffening cock lying along his thigh.

Jude let his gaze move over Zero as he reached up to tug at the knot of his tie. Once it hung loose around his neck, Jude reached for the button at his throat. Jude’s breathing sped up at the heat in Zero’s eyes as he watched Jude’s fingers.

At his waistband, Jude paused in undoing the buttons to reach for his cuffs. When they were both open and hanging loose at his wrists, Jude pulled the tails of the shirt out of his slacks and finished unbuttoning it. He pushed the sides of the shirt back and Zero ran hungry eyes over the skin Jude had bared.

Jude reached up and dragged the tie from around his neck. He held it in both hands, gave it a little snap, and then stepped closer to Zero, who still hadn’t moved. Jude looped the tie a few times around Zero’s cock and stroked him with it. Zero watched Jude’s hand move on him over the silk, then tipped his head back and closed his eyes.

“That’s gonna get stained,” Zero warned, his voice a deep rasp.

“Maybe,” Jude said. He drew the tie off Zero, and then looped around his balls and the base of his cock. Jude pulled the tie tight and knotted it. “Maybe not.”

Zero breathed in deeply, nostrils flaring when he saw what Jude had done with the tie. Jude curled his hand around the back of Zero’s neck and exerted the slightest bit of pressure. “Get on your knees.”

Zero licked his lips. “I love when you get bossy.”

Jude knew that, but what he said was, “I love when you do what I tell you to.”

Zero moaned. He sat up straight, and then slid off the bed until he was on his knees. He tipped his head back, looking up at Jude with a hint of defiance as he waited for his next order. “Undo my pants,” Jude said.

Zero raised his hands. Jude grabbed the long strands of Zero’s hair and tugged. “No hands.”

Zero made another sound, and pressed his face against the front of Jude’s slacks. He mouthed at Jude’s cock as he moved his mouth closer to the button. Jude bit his tongue so he didn’t let Zero know how much he was getting to him. Zero was taking liberties, but since Jude hadn’t told him not to, he allowed it. Plus, Jude didn’t think he could speak without his voice cracking.

Jude closed his eyes, the memory of the night Zero had first shown Jude his talent at tying a cherry stem into a knot with just his tongue and teeth as fresh and brilliant as if they were back in that moment now. He’d told Jude that there were other things he could do with his mouth, and later that night he’d gotten on his knees and kept his eyes on Jude’s face as he used his teeth to unbutton his slacks and then unzip them.

Jude’s fingers tightened in Zero’s hair as the slider moved over his cock, at the sudden release of pressure as the teeth parted. Without waiting for further instructions, Zero sucked on Jude through the material of his boxers.

“Pu–, pull my pants down,” Jude said, having to clear his throat before he could finish the command.

Zero used his hands to pull down Jude’s slacks, but used his teeth to drag the elastic of the boxers out, and then down over the head of his cock. Zero released the elastic so that it trapped Jude’s cock against his stomach, and sucked on the exposed head.

Zero slid his hands up Jude’s bare legs to his ass, and squeezed. He slipped one hand into the leg of Jude’s boxers and between his legs, and curled his fingers around Jude’s balls. Zero used his mouth to pull Jude’s cock away from his body, and the elastic slid down the length of him until it caught on his balls. Zero slid his mouth down the path the elastic had taken, his tongue soothing the irritated skin, until his nose was buried in the curls at the base of Jude’s cock.

Zero raised his eyes and looked at Jude as if to say, it’s your move. Jude took a breath, and then drew himself out of Zero’s mouth until only the head of his cock lay on Zero’s tongue. He pushed back in, then did it again, and again, his thrusts speeding up, his control slipping until he was fucking into Zero’s mouth with none of his usual finesse.

Zero encouraged Jude with his eyes, his hands, his tongue, until Jude stood at the precipice. Jude’s hips stuttered as his rhythm faltered and he soared off the ledge. His cock swelled and pulsed on Zero’s tongue, filling Zero’s mouth with his release.

Zero licked at Jude, then pressed kisses to his belly, the top of his thigh. Jude kept his grip on Zero’s hair until he could make his fingers open. “Sit . . . back up on the bed,” he said.

Zero obeyed _that_ command with alacrity, naturally. Jude needed Zero’s help to go to his knees. “Jude,” Zero said, his voice cracking.

Jude’s response was to take Zero into his mouth, sliding down the length of him until his lips touched silk.

“You know I can’t come with that still tied around me,” Zero breathlessly pointed out.

Jude did know. He hummed that knowledge around Zero, who swore. Zero grabbed the back of Jude’s head and raised his hips off the bed. Jude gave Zero’s balls a warning squeeze, then played with the tie while he sucked.

Jude waited until Zero was making incomprehensible sounds, and the muscles in his thighs trembled. He pulled one end of the tie, undoing the knot, and took Zero into his throat. With a garbled noise that sounded like Jude’s name, Zero emptied himself into Jude’s mouth.

~*~

Jude was nervous when they stepped through the clubhouse doors, but Zero’s hand on his lower back grounded him. At the dining room, Jude gave the maitre d’ their names and they were led to the table where “Mr. Douglas’ party” was already seated. Jude wasn’t surprised to see the other board members (with the exception of George Pullman) seated around the table, but his palms did begin to sweat. They were all talking, and no one paid their approach any attention. When Marcus saw them, he continued speaking in a relaxed, casual manner even as he rose to his feet to greet them.

Marcus shook hands with both Jude and Zero, and said, “Gentlemen, I’m glad you could join us.”

“We’re happy to be here,” Jude said, wondering as he spoke the words if they would prove to be true.

“You all know Jude Kinkade and Zero,” Marcus said to the others, who all agreed they did, and offered greetings of their own. Some warmer than others. Wendell Johnson shifted in his seat, but everyone else appeared as relaxed as Marcus.

There were two empty seats, and Zero pulled out the chair next to Marcus and held it for Jude before seating himself in the chair to Jude’s left.

“A gentleman,” Susan Hastings said.

Zero gave her one of his public flirty smiles, and said, “I can be.”

A waiter approached and took their drink order – Jude decided it was safest to stick with beer – and checked with the others for refills.

Susan waited until he’d left to gesture between Jude and Zero, and say, “So, which one of you is the boy toy?”

“Susan,” Marcus said, though more in resignation than reprimand.

Jude was glad he didn’t have a drink in front of him, or he might’ve choked on it. Zero took the question in stride, which was the real surprise. He leaned back in the chair and dropped his arm along the back of Jude’s chair.

“Well,” Zero drawled. “I think I look younger . . . .”

Jude gave Zero a look at that.

“. . . but Jude’s prettier, so . . . .”

Jude blushed and was thankful that their drinks arrived just then. Jude took a sip and caught Susan giving them an approving look over the rim of her own glass, as if they’d passed some sort of test.

Marcus directed the conversation to the game the next night, and Benjamin Harris questioned Zero about their chances for the playoffs this year. Their conversation touched on theater, and charity benefits, and celebrity gossip, and George Pullman’s granddaughter, but never once was Oscar, or Jelena, or the trade brought up.

While Marcus was telling a story about a ski trip to Vail last year, he tapped his foot against Jude’s. Taking the hint, Jude checked his watch and realized they’d been there for nearly two hours; the time had flown by.

“I’m sorry,” Jude said, “but we need to be going.”

“Are you a lightweight?”

From Susan, unsurprisingly.

“Well, yes,” Jude said, earning a chuckle from Ben, as Jude had been instructed to call him. “But today’s been an especially busy day.”

“How is Ms. Howard?” Wendell Johnson said.

Jude paused in rising. “I spoke with Terrence Wall earlier; he said she was doing well after the surgery.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Susan said.

“So am I,” Jude said.

“I heard you found her,” Susan said.

“Yes,” Zero said. He stood, and Jude let himself straighten out of the awkward bent position he’d ended up in.

“Rumor has it that you saved her life,” Thomas Heller said.

“I’m sure anyone would’ve done the same,” Jude said, downplaying their role.

“I’m not so sure,” Susan said.

Marcus stepped in. “Jude, Zero, I’ll walk you out.”

“What was that about?” Jude said when they got far enough away from the table that he wouldn’t be overheard by the others.

“We never even talked about my trade or Jelena’s take-over,” Zero said.

“That,” Marcus said, “was reminding them who we’re dealing with, that you’re both not just names on a piece of paper. And also to show them that you’re nothing like Oscar,” Marcus directed to Jude. “I’ll be in touch, Jude; thank you both for coming,” Marcus said, and then returned inside, leaving them standing beside the valet stand.

Zero handed over his ticket, and when the valet went to retrieve their car, he turned to Jude. “Does that mean it went well?”

“I have no idea,” Jude said, but he had to believe that Marcus knew what he was doing.

~*~

Jude was meeting with Bud Keller, their head of security, the next morning, going over the extra security for the game that evening to make sure no one attempted to sneak up to the crime scene during the game, when Detective Mallory showed up at his office.

“Detective,” Jude said, biting back a sigh. “Please come in, have a seat.”

Mallory came in, but instead of sitting, he explored the office. Jude ignored him and finished up his conversation with Bud. When they were done, Jude walked Bud out and shut the door behind him, then turned his attention to Mallory.

“What can I do for you, Detective?” Jude said. “Was Jelena able to tell you who shot her?”

“No,” Mallory said. “She claimed she didn’t see anyone, just heard a noise and went to investigate.” He gestured around the office. “You haven’t personalized the place much.”

Jude looked around the office himself, took note of the blank spots on the wall where framed photos of Chase Vincent posing with other celebrities had once hung. They’d been removed along with the rest of his personal effects. Jude hadn’t gotten around to putting up any photos of his own – not that he had a lot of celebrity photo ops under his belt.

“I haven’t had the job for very long,” Jude said, “and I’ve been busy just getting up to speed.”

“It must be nice,” Mallory mused, “to get a high level position right out of the gate because you’re related to the owner.”

Jude snorted. He knew that Mallory was trying to get under his skin, but the notion that he got the job because of Oscar was laughable. “The owner is the last person who would’ve given me this position,” he said. “But I’m sure you already know that.”

Mallory nodded, as if he didn’t mind Jude calling him on the attempt to rile him. “What I didn’t know is that you’re set to lose this cushy job.”

“What gives you that idea?” Jude said.

“Ms. Howard might’ve mentioned it.”

“If Jelena was going to fire me, she’d have done it by now,” Jude said with more confidence than he felt.

“What about the trade?” Mallory said.

“What about it?”

“I’m sure you weren’t happy to learn that your lover was going to be traded.”

“No,” Jude said. He had to bite his tongue to not say more than he should.

“Nor the man himself, Zero.”

“No. Do you have a question that relates to the shooting?” Jude said.

“You don’t think this does?” Mallory said, putting a little more surprise into his voice than Jude thought the questioned warranted.

“Since neither I nor Zero shot Jelena, no.”

“I’m still on the fence about that,” Mallory said.

“Well, when you figure out which side of the fence you come down on, let me know,” Jude said.

It was a clear dismissal, and Mallory took it as such. Jude waited until he was alone, the office door closed, to call Zero and warn him about Mallory’s visit.

~

Jude had barely had time to rebound from Mallory’s surprise visit when his cell rang. He checked the screen before answering and saw Lionel’s name. “Lionel?”

“I’d like to see you in my office,” Jelena said, and hung up before Jude could reply.

The shock of hearing Jelena’s voice left Jude cold. That was one number he was going to have to change the contact information on. Dread sat like ice in his stomach, but Jude forced himself to take a deep breath and leave the relative safety of his office.

The crime scene tape that had criss-crossed the entry when Jude arrived at the Arena that morning was gone, and the doors had been thrown wide open. Jelena sat behind the desk, her face drawn with resentment as much as pain, Jude thought. The janitorial staff hadn’t had a chance to get the blood stain out of the rug, and Jude’s gaze fell to the spot where Jelena had lain.

“What are you doing out of the hospital?” Jude said.

“I have a basketball team to run,” Jelena said. “You’ve been busy.”

“I’m trying to keep up with the day-to-day despite the LAPD requests that keep coming in,” Jude said.

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about,” Jelena said.

“Zero?” Jude said. “Did you think you could threaten to trade him and no one would oppose you?”

“I’m not talking about that, either,” Jelena said, “though that trade will happen no matter what you do. I’m talking about you cementing your own position.”

Jude’s mouth fell open. “I . . . don’t know what you mean,” he said. It sounded weak even to himself. His mind whirled; he’d kept his plans close to the vest, only telling four other people. He couldn’t believe that any of them, even Sloane, would’ve betrayed him.

“Marcus Douglas came to see me,” Jelena said.

It took Jude a few precious seconds to realize what she’d said. “Marcus?”

“Yes. It appears that Marcus likes you, Jude. He thinks you’ve done a good job as EVP, given the limited time you’ve been in the position, and the lack of experience you had at the outset. He’d like you to stay on, gain more experience. Plus, he thinks it’s good PR to have a Kinkade on the management team.”

Jude tried to speak, but nothing came out. Jelena tilted her head and waited.

“I never asked him to do that,” Jude said.

Jelena studied Jude. “I believe you,” she finally said. “But you did ask him for something.”

“Zero,” Jude said, because he had to give her something, and they’d already done as much as they could to sway the board to vote against the trade.

Jelena was silent for a moment, then she gestured towards the door. “Since you’re still EVP – for now – you should get back to work.”

Jude turned to leave. His skin prickled with expectation as he waited for the other shoe to drop. It happened just as he reached the door.

“I won’t have to fire you,” Jelena said softly, dangerously. “I’m going to make your life such a living hell you’ll be begging to leave.”

Jude considered replying, but decided that silence was the better option.


	3. Chapter Three

Jude managed to get some work done before the alarm on his phone went off. He’d received a text message from Marcus earlier, alerting him that Jelena had called an emergency board meeting for the following morning. Jude’s afternoon appointment just took on a new urgency.

Jude called Jill’s office to confirm that the papers he’d requested had been drawn up and were ready to be picked up. On his way out of the Arena for ‘lunch’, Jude called Zero to update him. After he picked up the document and reviewed it, Jude called Lionel to let her know he was on his way.

At the house, Jude didn’t bother to knock. He found Oscar sitting in the den. Oscar lowered the paper he was reading and looked at Jude over it. “Lionel’s upstairs,” he said grudgingly, and then went back to the paper.

If Jude had still been hoping for Oscar’s approval, the look he’d gotten from him would’ve stung. As it was, it fueled his determination. Jude sat down on the couch across from Oscar without waiting for an invitation. “I’m not here to see Lionel.”

Oscar lowered the paper again. “To what do I owe the honor?” he said, his tone indicating that Jude’s visit was the furthest thing from an honor he could imagine.

“To the Devils,” Jude said. “I haven’t been part of the organization for very long,” he went on, leaving unspoken the fact that Oscar was the reason for that, “but for as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be. I care about the team, too.”

Oscar sighed, and folded the paper. “What’s your point?” he said, bored.

Jude bit down on decades worth of frustration. “I have a proposition for you.” He waited a beat, letting that sink in. “You lost control of the Devils because you lost the trust of the board. For every single one of the minority shareholders to publicly side with Jelena, it means that the rift between you and them is deep. Possibly unmendable.”

“I haven’t heard anything that sounds like a proposition,” Oscar said.

“If we could turn just one of the minority shareholders back to our side, the Kinkades would control the majority again,” Jude said.

“You just said I couldn’t mend this rift,” Oscar pointed out.

“You can’t,” Jude said, “but _I_ can.”

“You?” Oscar said derisively.

If Jude hadn’t known before how Oscar felt about him, he would now. He shrugged it off. “Yes, me.”

“I’m not going to listen to any more of this ridiculous drivel . . . .”

“Marcus Douglas,” Jude said.

Oscar subsided.

“He’ll follow me,” Jude said, infusing his words with all the confidence he didn’t feel. “And if he does, it could bring others, but we only need him.”

“And how do you plan to accomplish this feat?” Oscar said.

“By taking your seat on the board,” Jude said.

Oscar drew back as if he’d been slapped. “You expect me to turn over my shares to you?”

Jude ignored the way Oscar said ‘you’, as if Jude was dog crap on the bottom of his shoe instead of his son. “No,” he said. Jude waited for the surprise at having been wrong to flash across Oscar’s face, then said, “I expect you to appoint me as your proxy.”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve,” Oscar began, once his shock passed.

“What I’ve got is a solid plan,” Jude said. “But If you want the great Kinkade legacy to end with you being bested by Jelena, of all people, a Devil Girl, then you can just sit there and do nothing, let her run your team into the ground. I mean, you’ve already let her steal it right out from under you.”

“You ungrateful little . . . .”

“Or you could ensure that the Kinkade legacy lives on.”

“Through you?” Oscar said contemptuously.

“Yes,” Jude said, his voice more calm than he felt. “Of the two of us, I’m the only one with a shot at turning Marcus back to our side. A Kinkade will continue to run the Devils, it just won’t be you.”

“If you think I’m going to turn my team over to you, Jude, then you’re sorely mistaken.”

“You’d really rather let Jelena remain in charge than put your own son in control?”

“I don’t have a son,” Oscar said.

Jude had anticipated words to that effect, but it still hurt to hear them. He nodded. “To be honest, I suspected you’d feel that way. If I had more time I’d continue trying to persuade you, but Jelena’s called an emergency board meeting for tomorrow morning. If you won’t choose me over Jelena, perhaps you’ll choose me over losing everything and spending the rest of your miserable life in jail.”

“Not this again,” Oscar said. “Didn’t Lionel tell you that I found all of her evidence and destroyed every last bit of it?”

“Not all of it,” Jude said. He withdrew a thumb drive from the front pocket of his slacks. “I had to use Lionel’s computer once. While I was on there, I saw a file that looked interesting, so I checked it out. It turned out to be so interesting that I made a copy of it.

“Jude?” Lionel said from the doorway. “You’ve had a copy of the evidence all along?”

“Lionel,” Jude said, rising.

“Answer the question, Jude,” Lionel demanded.

“Yes,” Jude said.

“And you didn’t think to mention it before now?”

“ _You_ got him out of jail,” Jude said. “ _You_ said we needed him.”

“You didn’t need to tell _him_!” Lionel threw out her hand in Oscar’s direction. “But you should’ve told _me_.” She tabbed a finger at her own chest.

“Like you told me you were going to use the information I’d found to spring him?” Jude said.

“That’s different,” Lionel said weakly.

“It’s also not the point,” Jude said. “What’s done is done, we can talk about this later. Right now I’d like to finish my conversation with Oscar.”

“Oh, don’t stop on my account,” Oscar said with great enjoyment at the rift he sensed between them.

Jude turned back to Oscar. “You want this information to remain our little secret, you’ll appoint me your proxy.”

“If I go to jail, you’ll lose everything,” Oscar bargained.

“If Jelena remains in control, I’ve already lost everything – she’s going to fire me and trade Zero – so I really have nothing to lose,” Jude said. “But I have to admit, I’d get a perverse pleasure from knowing you’d lost everything. You wouldn’t be able to stop a League-forced sale once this information gets out.”

Jude tucked the thumb drive back into his pocket, and listed off the evidence that Lionel and Sloane had told him were in the packet. “Oh, and in case you happen to have a magnet hidden around here,” he said, referring to Oscar corrupting Lionel’s hard drive, “I’ve made copies.”

Jude withdrew the folded document out from the inside pocket of his jacket. “I’ve taken the liberty of having an Appointment of Proxy form drawn up.” He dropped it on the coffee table.

“You’re bluffing.” Oscar kept his eyes on Jude, ignoring the form.

“Try me,” Jude said. “I have your signature on that form before I leave here, or e-mails go out to every major newspaper in LA. And that’s no bluff.”

Oscar studied Jude for a long moment that made sweat break out between his shoulder blades. He finally reached out to pick up the form. He unfolded it and read the title at the top before glancing back to Jude. “It looks like you’ve thought of everything.”

Jude didn’t respond. He didn’t think he could speak without choking. They were so close, he was afraid that anything he said now would break the moment. Jude held his breath while Oscar withdrew a pen from his pocket and signed the Appointment.

“Lionel,” Jude said, his voice even despite his inner turmoil.

Lionel moved towards the coffee table. “What?”

“Witness Oscar’s signature, please.”

Lionel’s hand shook a little bit when she took the pen from Oscar’s fingers. She glanced at Oscar, then at Jude before placing her signature on the form and then writing the date beside it. Lionel straightened and held out both the pen and form to Jude, then realized the pen should go back to Oscar.

Jude plucked the form from Lionel’s fingers. He glanced at the signatures, then folded it and slipped it back into his pocket.

“Maybe I was wrong about you, Jude,” Oscar said. “Maybe you are more like me than I thought.”

Jude would’ve given anything to hear Oscar say those words six months ago, but now they just made him feel dirty. “You were right before, Oscar. You know me as well as I know you.” Jude looked at Lionel. “I need to get back to work. Walk me out?”

Lionel gave Jude a look that would’ve melted a glacier, then strode out of the room, her shoulders rigid. Without another glance at Oscar, Jude followed her. As they walked down the front steps, Lionel spoke first.

“Good job,” she said, the anger in her voice carrying back to the house.

“You, too,” Jude said, trying to appear conciliatory.

“You don’t think the shaking hand was too much?” she asked as they moved further away from the house.

“I thought it was perfect,” Jude said. “You were perfect.”

“Good,” Lionel said. “My acting career is still good for something.”

Jude turned towards Lionel. He heard the sharp crack of the slap before he felt it. He raised his hand to his cheek. “Ow,” he said. “What was that for?”

“Veracity,” Lionel said lightly. “You’re lucky I didn’t turn my rings around.”

“Thank you?” Jude said.

“We should probably hug it out, or something,” Lionel said.

Jude hesitated. “You’re not gonna knee me in the balls, are you?”

Lionel shook her head. “That might be overkill.”

“Might be?” Jude said, opening his arms. Lionel stepped forward and let Jude fold her up against him. “I’m gonna take care of all of us,” he said, speaking low into Lionel’s ear.

“I know,” Lionel said.

“I’ll see you at the game tonight?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Lionel said. “Maybe I can accidentally punch Jelena in the stomach.”

Jude winced.

“Go,” Lionel said. “Make me proud.”

“Sure thing,” Jude said, adding, “Mom.”

An expression Jude couldn’t identify flashed across Lionel’s face before she plastered on a smile. “Step-mother,” Lionel corrected. “I’m much too young to be your mother.”

~*~

Zero was waiting for Jude when he returned to his office. Zero dropped the magazine he’d been leafing through, and Jude wondered a little hysterically whether Zero was ever going to finish reading it.

“How’d it go?” Zero said, rising from the chair and taking a step towards Jude.

Jude opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Zero touched Jude’s arm. “Is everything alright? You look a little shell-shocked.”

Jude huffed a laugh. “I feel a lot shell-shocked.”

“Oscar didn’t buy it?” Zero guessed, not hiding his disappointment very well.

Jude shook his head. “No, he bought it. Lionel really helped sell it.” Jude scrubbed a hand over his face. “I can’t believe it,” he said. “It worked.”

“It worked,” Zero said, then louder, “It worked!”

A grin spread across Jude’s face. “It worked.”

Zero grabbed Jude up in a hug and spun him around. They both laughed joyfully, even if Jude’s was a little manic. “I could kiss you right now,” Zero said as he set Jude back onto his feet.

“You should do that,” Jude said, still breathless from his laughter and being spun by Zero.

Surprise flashed across Zero’s face, then pleasure, before his expression settled into a cocky assurance. “I should,” he said, and it wasn’t a question.

“You should,” Jude said again, and this time the breathlessness in his voice was from anticipation.

Zero brought their mouths together and swept Jude up in a heady kiss that was as tender as it was rough, as sweet as it was needy. Jude broke the kiss and gasped, “We should celebrate this victory.” It was a small victory, just the first step in the plan, but it had been the key upon which the rest of the plan hinged.

“Yes,” Zero said. “Tonight, after the game . . . .”

“No,” Jude said, bringing Zero up short. “Now.”

“Now?” Zero said, caught by surprise.

“Right now,” Jude said. He glanced at the desk. “You’re always telling me how sturdy the desk appears.”

It was Zero’s turn to look shell-shocked as he too glanced towards the desk.

“Now’s your chance to find out.”

“You . . . .” Zero cleared his throat. “You want me to fuck you on your desk.”

Jude unbuttoned his jacket and shrugged it off his shoulders. “Unless you have someplace else you need to be.”

Zero did not have any place else to be. He made sure the door was locked, then put a chair under the handle for good measure.

Jude folded his jacket over the back of the remaining chair, but not before withdrawing the Appointment form from the inside pocket. Jude handed the paper to Zero and lowered his hands to his belt.

Zero unfolded the form and glanced over it until his eyes reached the signatures at the bottom. “I can’t believe your crazy idea worked,” Zero said. He released the form to flutter to the desk top and grabbed Jude to pull him in for another kiss.

Jude clutched at Zero’s back and returned the kiss with zeal. He couldn’t believe his crazy plan had worked, either, and he was high on the success of it.

Zero spun Jude around until Jude’s back was pressed to his front. His hands dropped to Jude’s waistband, where Jude had already begun work on the belt, and his lips dragged across Jude’s neck. Jude shuddered as Zero kissed and sucked on the sensitive skin while nimble fingers undid his slacks.

Zero pushed Jude’s slacks and boxers down his legs, then bent him forward. Jude’s arm went out, and he didn’t even pay attention to what items a sweep of it knocked off the desk. Jude braced himself on the desk as Zero raised his shirt tails, pushed the material up his back until his ass was exposed.

Zero stroked his hands over Jude’s ass slowly, almost reverently. He parted Jude’s cheeks and brushed his fingers over Jude’s hole. Zero bent over Jude’s back and closed his teeth on Jude’s neck and gave a soft growl as he ground his hardness into Jude’s ass.

“You’re lucky I’m always prepared,” Zero said as he straightened.

“You’re such a boy scout,” Jude said, but when Zero lay a condom and tube of lube on the desk, he said, “No. I mean, yes the lube, no the other.”

Zero froze behind him. “Jude,” he said, the word sounding like it came out of a throat that had swallowed ground glass.

They’d both been tested, twice. Once back when Zero insisted he didn’t do relationships, and again after he’d decided he did. They had sex bare, but not often. Zero wanted it to be reserved for special occasions, and Jude hated the sensation of come leaking out of his ass all night, which was an especial concern when they were having sex at work, but Jude didn’t care about that now, he craved the closeness. “I’m sure,” he said, eliciting a groan from Zero.

“Fuck, babe,” Zero said, dropping his forehead to rest in the space between Jude’s shoulder blades. His hips moved, almost involuntarily. “You know how much I love bare-backing you.”

Jude shivered, because he did know. Zero told him, in great detail, how good Jude felt around his bare cock. Sometimes Jude thought he could get off on that alone, the deep rasp of Zero’s voice, the ‘you feel so fucking good’s.

Zero pulled back and for a moment Jude felt bereft, but then Zero’s fingers were on him again, slick, pressing inside him, stretching him, stroking just right. Lost in the sensation, Jude didn’t realize at first when Zero withdrew his fingers. Just when the feeling of emptiness registered, Zero pressed the head of his cock against Jude’s hole.

Jude already had his face pressed against his arm to muffle the sounds he made, but now he had to bite down to keep from crying out. Zero ran soothing hands over Jude’s sides, and said, “I’ve got you, Jude,” as the length of him filled Jude.

“Oh, god,” Jude breathed. “Oh god, Zero. Fuck me. Please . . . .”

“You don’t have to beg me for that,” Zero said, beginning the long, slow withdrawal. “But I love it when you do.”

Jude’s comment, because he had one, was lost in the slide of Zero’s cock back inside him. Neither one of them was going to last long – the illicit sex in Jude’s office, the bare slide of Zero’s cock inside him.

Zero lost it first. Jude could feel it in the way his thrusts sped up, as if he was frantic for the release he could see but not touch, and then the feel of his body taut against Jude’s back. The rhythm of his hips broke, stuttering against Jude before slowing, and then stopping, cock pulsing until he’d emptied himself inside Jude.

Zero slumped on Jude’s back and kissed the back of his neck. “I’ve got you,” he said again. “Just give me a sec.”

Jude was right on the edge, so close that the slightest stimulation would’ve sent him over. Zero raised up and carefully withdrew. He gently patted Jude’s hip. “I’ll be right back.”

“Wha–?” Jude said in shock. He turned his head and watched Zero walk into the bathroom, heard the water run.

Zero’s pants were still open, his softening cock hanging out of them, when he returned, but he’d cleaned himself up and he carried a cloth in his hand.

“You need to do this now?” Jude said, irritation bleeding through the arousal still singing through his body.

Zero gestured with the cloth. “You’ll thank me for this.”

“I’d be more thankful if you’d let me come first,” Jude groused as Zero knelt behind him.

Zero chuckled, and warm breath feathered over Jude’s skin. Jude braced himself for the rough scratch of cotton, but instead the silk of Zero’s tongue licked a path up the inside of Jude’s thigh. Licked up his own come, which was leaking out of Jude’s hole. Jude shuddered, and his cock grew impossibly harder.

Zero licked the inside of Jude’s other thigh. “As much as I love the idea of my come filling your ass,” he said, “we can’t have the EVP walking around with a wet spot on the seat of his pants.”

Zero spread Jude’s cheeks and his tongue followed a trail of come back to his hole, and licked over it. Jude made a sound he didn’t muffle quickly enough, and he had a moment to hope that no one heard before Zero’s tongue pressed inside him and drove all other thoughts from his head.

Zero lapped at his hole, and jabbed inside him, closed his lips over his hole and sucked on him, and Jude’s arousal grew until he thought he’d explode with it. Jude’s fingers scrabbled at the desk top, as if he could dig his nails in and hold on. He couldn’t tell if he was trying to throw himself over the edge, or whether he wanted to continue hanging there forever while Zero drove his body to greater heights of pleasure.

Zero laid his face against Jude’s ass, and reached around to touch him. “Let go for me,” Zero said, and Jude did.

~*~

Jude had opened three different files and barely got a thing accomplished on any of them. He wished he could blame the police investigation for interrupting him, or his concern about the board meeting tomorrow and whatever Jelena had planned for it, or his belly-twisting relief slash disbelief that his plan to have Oscar appoint Jude as his proxy had actually worked, but with most of Jude’s distractions these days, this one also came down to Zero.

Jude was trying to not shift in his seat, or stare at the place where he’d been bent over the desk just hours before, when his door opened without even the courtesy of a knock. Jude looked up, thankful for this new distraction.

“Lionel!” Jude said. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s game night,” Lionel said.

Jude checked his watch to make sure more time hadn’t passed than he’d thought.

“You’re going to escort me to the Playground,” Lionel said in reply to Jude’s unasked question.

“I am?” Jude said, automatically shutting down his laptop. “Why?”

Lionel gave Jude an exasperated look. “To be seen, of course. And to mingle. Make contacts.”

Jude still must’ve looked confused, because Lionel sighed. “I would’ve been there when I was running the team, Oscar would’ve been there, and Jelena will most certainly be there. As will all the other minority shareholders. You need to be there as well.”

“Is Oscar going to be there tonight?” Jude said as he rose to his feet.

“Oscar is . . . indisposed,” Lionel said. “I’m representing his interests. For tonight,” she added, “and as far as everyone else is concerned.”

Jude unrolled his shirt sleeves and buttoned the cuffs. “What’s wrong with Oscar?”

“Oscar was . . . displeased that you’d managed to get the better of him. It stung doubly because . . . .”

“It was me?” Jude guessed.

“ . . . he’d very recently been bested by Jelena,” Lionel continued.

Lionel headed for the door; Jude grabbed his jacket, felt the inside pocket before slipping it on, and followed her.

“Did he try to hurt you?” Jude said as they walked down the hall.

“He attempted to assert his marital rights under our agreement as he saw them,” Lionel said calmly.

“Lionel!” Jude said, aghast.

“I took your suggestion,” Lionel said. “I kicked him in the balls.”

Jude winced reflexively. “But you’re alright?”

“I learned some self-defense moves for a movie I did once,” Lionel said blithely, but her hand shook when she pressed the elevator button.

Jude took Lionel’s hand. “I remember that movie,” he said. “As I recall, you kicked ass then, too.”

“I did,” Lionel said confidently, but she squeezed Jude’s hand and didn’t let go until she needed to in order to make her entrance into the Playground.

Jelena glanced over when Jude and Lionel stepped through the Playground doors. Jude didn’t know whether the disdain on her face was for him, or Lionel. Or both. She was speaking to Susan Hastings. Susan winked at Jude while Jelena’s attention was off of her, and Lionel gave Jude a look.

“It’s not what you think,” Jude said.

“It looks like she wants to eat you up,” Lionel said as she led the way to the bar.

“She thinks I’m Zero’s boy toy,” Jude said, then blushed, more because he recalled the way Zero had licked the come off the inside of his thighs than at Lionel’s tinkle of laughter.

“Oh, sweetie,” Lionel said. “You think you’re not?”

Jude glared at her, but before he could respond the new bartender approached them. Lionel ordered drinks for both of them and requested a menu. Jude was glad she’d only ordered him a beer, because he didn’t think he’d be able to eat anything and he didn’t want to drink too much on an empty stomach.

The bartender smoothly slid their drinks onto the bar in front of them, and placed the menu between them. Lionel took a sip of her mango mojito and opened the menu. Jude took a longer sip of beer and glanced around the Playground to see who else was there.

Jude spotted Marcus Douglas, Benjamin Harris, Wendell Johnson, and Thomas Heller, along with other high ranking employees of the Devils organization. Jude frowned when he saw Adam Oberman. Terrence was also there, but he appeared to be keeping his distance from Jelena.

“What’s going on with Terrence and Jelena?” Jude said to Lionel.

Lionel glanced over her shoulder. “You’d know more than I would. Do you have a preference?” she said, indicating the menu.

Jude shook his head. “I don’t think I can eat.”

“You need to eat something,” Lionel said. “You can’t let them see that you’re nervous. Nibble,” she went on. “Tell them you’re watching your figure, or that you need to save your appetite because you and Zero are going out after the game. But don’t ever give them a reason to think you’re worried, or scared, or nervous.”

Jude stared at Lionel; he couldn’t think of anything to say. He wasn’t sure he liked the insight he gained into how Lionel had had to live her life with each glimpse she gave him. Lionel stared back, and only when it appeared that her mask was slipping did Jude move. He touched Lionel’s hand under the guise of pointing at the menu. “I like those flatbread things they make here,” he said.

Lionel’s smile was weak, but it had strengthened by the time the bartender returned to take their order. After he left, Jude raised his beer to Lionel. She raised her glass and touched the rim to the bottle, and they both took a sip.

Susan approached them, and Jude was torn between keeping his eyes on her, like any prey to the predator, and attempting to see who Jelena was speaking with now.

“I wasn’t sure I’d get to see you without your boyfriend around,” Susan said to Jude. “He was like a protective mama bear,” she added, as much to Lionel as to Jude.

Lionel’s smile was all teeth. “Jude has more than one of those,” she said with enough saccharine to cause tooth decay in everyone at the Playground.

Susan turned to Lionel. “Lionel, such a pleasure to see you again. I wasn’t sure we’d see you around here anymore.”

“Why’s that?” Lionel said.

“You’ve had some pretty spectacular losses, recently,” Susan said with sympathy so fake even Jude felt the slap.

“Oscar still owns a share of the team,” Lionel said.

“A share that’s getting smaller and smaller, it seems,” Susan said, then she made a show of looking around the Playground. “Where _is_ Oscar tonight? Licking his wounds?”

Jude snorted an unexpected laugh and choked on the sip of beer he’d made the mistake of taking. Lionel valiantly bit back her own inappropriate laugh when Susan looked intrigued at their reactions.

“Oscar was feeling amorous this afternoon,” Lionel admitted in a conspiratorial tone. “I might’ve accidentally kneed him in the groin when he got a bit too frisky. We wouldn’t want that getting around, though.”

“Of course not,” Susan said, giving Lionel a look of surprised interest. “Maybe I underestimated you.”

Marcus appeared at Jude’s side just then, and Jude could’ve kissed him for the timely intervention. He didn’t think he could handle being party to whatever conversation Susan and Lionel were going to have now that they had found common ground.

“Marcus, hi,” Jude said, hoping the relief he felt at being rescued didn’t show in his voice.

“Jude.” Marcus held out his hand and they shook. He glanced over Jude’s shoulder. “What’s going on there?”

Jude glanced back. “I don’t think I want to know,” he said.

Marcus gave Jude a long look, then said, “Probably smart.” He changed the subject with a suddenness that would’ve caught Jude off-guard if he hadn’t been searching for a way to turn the conversation to the board meeting himself. “Are you prepared for the board meeting tomorrow?”

“Not quite,” Jude said.

“You spoke with all the board members, didn’t you?” Marcus said.

“Some more than others,” Jude said, “but I was under the impression that you thought less was more with regard to some of them.”

Marcus inclined his head. “Something like that.”

“I actually wanted to talk to you about the board meeting,” Jude said.

“I can’t get you in,” Marcus said. “That might be pushing things too far with Jelena.”

“I’ve gotten myself in,” Jude said. He ignored the question in Marcus’ eyes to raise his own question. “I was hoping I could convince you to withdraw your support of Jelena.”

“And go back to supporting Oscar?” Marcus said. “No. I’m almost disappointed you’d even ask me to do that, Jude.”

“Not Oscar,” Jude said.

Marcus stopped mid-shake of his head to look at Jude.

“Me.”

Marcus leaned in a fraction closer. “Are you telling me that Oscar turned his shares over to you?”

“No,” Jude said. Before Marcus could put voice to the thoughts Jude saw cross his face, he explained. “But he did appoint me as his proxy.”

Marcus froze, whatever words he’d been going to say were washed away in the surprised expression he gave Jude. “How did you manage that?”

“Oscar saw reason when I pointed out the benefit, to both the Devils and the Kinkade legacy, of stepping back and letting someone else take his place at the table,” Jude said.

“You almost said that with a straight face, and I might’ve even believed you if you hadn’t begun that sentence with ‘Oscar saw reason’.” Marcus shook his head. “It’s a bold move, but it won’t be enough to sway the other minority shareholders. Oscar can revoke your appointment at any time, and then he’d be back in the driver’s seat.”

“Not this one,” Jude said. “The Appointment of Proxy form that Oscar signed clearly states that he can only revoke the appointment for good cause. He can’t revoke it on a whim.”

Marcus gave Jude an impressed look. “I would’ve loved to have been a fly on the wall to see how you managed that.”

“Oscar’s not an unreasonable man,” Jude said, not even trying to pretend he believed it. He held up his bottle and Marcus touched his glass to the neck, they both drank.

Just then Lionel called Jude’s name and waved him over.

“Looks like you’ve got to go,” Marcus said.

“What? No . . . .”

Marcus patted Jude on the shoulder and then slipped away, leaving him with no other choice than to rejoin Lionel and Susan.

“Jude,” Lionel said excitedly, closing her fingers around Jude’s arm. Jude glanced at her glass, which was still half full, and wondered how many she’d had while he’d been speaking with Marcus. “Guess what!”

“I couldn’t,” Jude said, but Lionel spoke over him.

“Susan is going to sit with us during the game!”

Jude’s gaze flew to Susan, who winked at him over the rim of her glass. He swallowed hard. “Awesome.”

~*~

Zero laughed his ass off when Jude walked into the arena with Lionel and Susan on either side of him. He laughed so hard he missed an easy lay-up. Jude supposed it was better than the smoldering look Zero had originally been aiming his way, that was intended to remind him of that afternoon in Jude’s office. And which had indirectly worked, because Jude was thinking about it now. He gave Zero a disgusted look, but it was probably dampened by the flush heating his cheeks. Zero just grinned in response.

Jude was glad that it was his usual practice to stand on the sidelines because it gave him a chance to escape Lionel and Susan, who had placed Jude between them when they sat in their courtside seats. Jude walked over to where Pete was watching the team’s warm-up drills. He tried not to stare when Zero tore off his warm-up pants and tossed them towards the bench. They fell far shore, landing at Jude’s feet.

Jude gave Zero an unimpressed look. Zero gave him an ‘oops’ shrug in return, and then got back in line for the next drill. One of the ball girls, Clarisha, jogged over to retrieve the pants before Jude had to decide what to do with them.

“Zero’s looking good in warm-ups tonight,” Pete said.

Jude blushed, even though Pete couldn’t possibly know what he’d been thinking. “What?”

“It’ll help our cause if he has a good game,” Pete said.

“Speaking of ‘our cause,’ there’s a board meeting tomorrow morning,” Jude said.

“I’ve heard.”

“How have your conversations gone?”

“Well,” Pete said. Then he shrugged. “I think.”

“You think?”

“How have _your_ conversations gone?” Pete said in return.

“Well,” Jude said. He sighed. “I think.”

Pete gave Jude a ‘there you have it’ look. Jude turned his attention to the warm-ups on the court and hoped that Zero was on his game tonight.

Jude returned to his seat, but he was only there for a few minutes before the game started and Lionel’s and Susan’s attention was diverted. A few minutes later Jude was on his feet behind the team, pacing. Concern about tomorrow was interspersed with huge grins he couldn’t contain, because Zero was on fire. And he was getting the ball a lot. Jude wondered if Pete had changed up some of the plays to put Zero in the right place at the right time, or whether that was all Zero.

The game ended in a 103-93 victory for the Devils. Zero had scored 32 points, a new team high for him. Jude felt like his grin was going to split his face. He watched Zero celebrate with the team, trading hugs and back slaps, and he didn’t think he’d ever been prouder.

Jude gave Zero a smile and a nod when he glanced over, but instead of merely acknowledging Jude before getting caught up in post-game interviews, Zero sauntered over to where Jude stood court-side. Jude’s heart sped up.

“Good game,” Jude said when Zero was in hearing distance.

“It was, wasn’t it?” Zero said.

When Zero kept coming towards him, Jude’s breath caught. He released the fist he’d clenched in his pocket where no one could see how much he had riding on this game, and when Zero swooped in for a kiss, Jude curled his fingers around the back of his head, uncaring of the sweat that dampened Zero’s hair.

“You were amazing out there,” Jude said when they broke the kiss.

“I know,” Zero said immodestly. “I can be amazing later, too,” he said. There was no smirk accompanying the words, just heat in his eyes.

“Can you?” Jude said, his mouth going dry. He glanced over Zero’s shoulder and saw a sports reporter waiting impatiently. “You’ve got some interviews to get through first.”

“It’s always like that with you, Jude,” Zero said. “All work and no play.” He winked at Jude before heading back out onto the court with a swagger.

Jude’s cheeks heated, and then he laughed because, holy shit, they were going to pull it off. And he was gonna hit that later tonight.

Jude was drawn out of his thoughts by Marcus appearing at his shoulder. “Your boy did good tonight.”

“Yes,” Jude said, unable to wipe the smile off his face. “Yes, he did.”

Marcus gave Jude a knowing look. “Let’s hope things go as well tomorrow.”

It should’ve been a splash of cold water, but Jude was still riding the high of everything that had gone right for them that day, culminating with the win and the kiss. “It will,” he said confidently.

Marcus gave Jude a look, but he merely said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Jude said. “Marcus. Think about what I said before.”

Marcus paused. “I’ll think about it.”

Jude nodded. “That’s all I ask.” Instead of watching Marcus walk away, Jude turned his attention back to Zero, who glanced over just then. Jude fingered the key in his pocket, and smiled.

~*~

Jude was awake the next morning long before the alarm went off. He’d been too nervous to sleep, even though Zero had more than made good on his word the night before. He was fully dressed and pacing the living room with his second cup of coffee in his hand when Zero came out of the bedroom. He’d thrown on a pair of sweat pants, but hadn’t bothered even running his fingers through his hair.

“Need another blow job?” Zero said.

Jude glared at him, but Zero just grinned back. On his half-awake face, it was kind of adorable. “I’m nervous,” Jude admitted.

“I never would’ve guessed,” Zero said dryly.

Jude sighed and gave Zero a look. Zero just sat in a corner of the couch and pulled his bare feet up, then indicated the spot he’d left open. “Sit.”

“I can’t sit,” Jude said. He paced some more, sipping his coffee. Zero tipped his head back on the couch and watched Jude through hooded eyes. He didn’t speak, just sat there keeping Jude company while he fretted.

Finally Jude plopped down on the couch. “I think I’m going to throw up,” he said dramatically.

“You’re going to be _fine_ , Jude,” Zero said.

“How can you be so calm about this?” Jude said. “So much is riding on this meeting.”

Zero nudged Jude’s leg with his toes. “Because I trust you,” he said. “You’ve got this, Jude.”

Jude breathed out heavily. He dropped his head back on the couch, unable to look at Zero without crying, or something. No one had ever had this much faith in him before. Jude dropped his hand onto Zero’s foot and squeezed, hoping to convey by touch everything he couldn’t say in words.

Zero straightened his legs out and placed both feet in Jude’s lap. Jude gave Zero a look, but he didn’t push them off. He gave his nearly empty coffee mug to Zero when he reached for it, and then laughed when Zero gave a meaningful glance between Jude’s hands and his own feet.

Jude dropped both hands into his lap and began rubbing Zero’s feet. It was actually soothing. He stopped thinking about the board meeting and concentrated on how Zero relaxed under his ministrations, on the soft sounds of pleasure he made. They both jumped when there was a knock at the door.

Zero held out his hand to stop Jude from moving. “I’ll get it,” he said. “You just got relaxed.”

Zero swung his feet off Jude’s lap and set the mug on the coffee table. Jude watched Zero walk over to the door, idly contemplating taking him up on his earlier offer. He didn’t think about the early hour until Zero opened the door and went stiff in shock.

Jude shifted to sit up straight when Zero said, “Mr. Pullman.” At that, Jude stood up and moved so he could see around Zero to who was standing on their doorstep.

“Zero,” George Pullman said, and then, “Jude,” when Jude moved into sight.

“George,” Jude said in about the same tone Zero had used.

“I’m sorry to drop by so early, but I wanted to catch you before you left.”

“No!” Jude said. “I mean, no, it’s fine. Come in.”

Zero stepped back and let George enter their apartment. He closed the door and moved so he stood next to Jude. “What can we do for you this morning, Mr. Pullman?” Zero said, and Jude was glad one of them had the wherewithal to speak.

“I was hoping to speak to Jude . . . .” George nodded in Jude’s direction. “. . . before the board meeting.”

“Will you be there?” Jude said hopefully.

“No,” George said. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Jude tried to mask his disappointment. He’d hoped to have George’s backing with regard to Zero’s trade. He indicated that George should go ahead and speak.

“The last few days have shown me that there are more important things in life than basketball. No offense,” he said to Zero.

“None taken,” Zero said.

“I’ve come to a hard decision that wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be,” George went on. “I’m going to sell my shares in the Devils.”

“But you can’t do that,” Jude said.

“I can, so long as I’m selling to a current owner or the sale’s approved by the other shareholders. This one will be; I’ve already taken an informal poll.”

Jude’s throat had closed up and he could barely draw a breath. He ran through every current board member and tried to calculate how the sale would affect Zero, himself. “Who,” Jude said, then had to start again. “Who are you selling to?”

“You,” George said.

“I . . . .” Jude shook his head. Surely he had to have heard that wrong. “What?”

“I’m selling my shares to you,” George said. Then gave Jude a small smile. “Unless you don’t want them?”

“No!” Jude said, startled into action. “I mean, yes! Yes, of course I want them, but . . . I’m not a shareholder.”

“You’re better,” George said. “You’re family.”

Zero made a sound. “If Oscar was dead he’d be rolling in his grave right now.”

Jude reached out a hand to swat at Zero, but Zero just grabbed it and held on.

“All the better,” George said grimly, then to Jude, “I’ve brought a contract for you to review and sign to make it official, and an Appointment of Proxy so you can vote my shares until the sale goes through.”

Jude took the documents George held out to him. He tried to read them, but his vision kept going hazy.

“Here, sit down,” Zero said, then caught Jude before he ended up on the floor. “Not there, over here.”

Zero helped Jude over to the couch and stood next to him, a hand on his shoulder. “Everything look in order?”

Jude’s vision cleared and he looked over the documents as if he was reviewing a endorsement contract on behalf of Zero. “Yes,” Jude said, breathless.

“You just need to sign the contract,” George said, and a pen was held in front of Jude’s face. “I’ve already signed both documents.”

Jude took the pen and signed. There were two copies, and George took one back after Zero witnessed Jude’s signatures. Jude handed the pen back to George, holding on so George couldn’t pull away immediately.

“George. I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything; you’re actually doing me a favor.” George tucked the pen and contract away, then said, “Just be a better man than Oscar.”

“He already is,” Zero said.

George nodded. Zero showed George out while Jude stared unseeing at the contract he’d just signed.

“How much do you think I could get for the Porsche?” Jude said once they were alone again.

“Fuck that,” Zero said. “You’re part owner of the Devils now. You need that car more than ever. I’ll loan you the money,” Zero said before Jude could argue. “At a _very_ reasonable interest rate,” he added with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Jude laughed, breathless with relief and joy. This was something he’d never expected, and it changed everything for them. “I think I will take that blow job,” he said.

Zero smirked as he sauntered back over to Jude. “You’re the boss,” he said.

~*~

Despite being up early, Jude got into the office just before nine o’clock. He wouldn’t put it past Jelena to move up the board meeting and he’d planned on being in even earlier, but, well, the morning had taken an interesting turn. Or two.

Jude kept checking his phone in case Marcus texted him about any changes regarding the board meeting. He answered some work e-mails, talked with the Devils’ attorney about the police investigation into Jelena’s shooting, checked in with Lionel, and received an update from Stafford.

Jude leaned back in his chair and considered what he’d just learned from Stafford. Wendell Johnson had been embezzling from his company for years now. For a cursory investigation to have turned up the information, it hadn’t been buried very deep. Which meant that it had probably been uncovered quite easily by Jelena.

If she had something like that on him, Wendell would be difficult to pry out of Jelena’s hands. Luckily for Jude, he didn’t need to. With Oscar’s shares, and now George Pullman’s, Jude controlled a majority of the shares. And if he could swing Marcus to his side . . . .

Jude checked the time and then password locked his laptop before heading to the board room. Five of the board members were already there, along with the Secretary, Alan Bower. The only person missing was Jelena. Marcus greeted Jude warmly, and Jude shook hands with each of the others.

Jude wasn’t surprised by the varying degrees of welcome (warm, Benjamin Harris and Thomas Heller; uncomfortably warm, Susan Hastings; cool, Wendell Johnson), but he was surprised by the fact that Wendell Johnson was startled to see him. He should’ve known that Jude was attending on George Pullman’s behalf, at least. Unless George hadn’t included Wendell in his ‘informal poll’. Jude filed that fact away for future mulling over.

Jude helped himself to a cup of coffee – not that he needed more caffeine, but he did need something to do with his hands – and offered to pour for the others. His stomach growled when he glanced at the tray of pastries that had been set out, but as hungry as he was, Jude was afraid the food would stick in his throat.

Jelena appeared in the doorway just as the clock struck ten. Despite the still-healing gun shot wound in her stomach, it was quite an entrance. She even recovered quickly when her stride faltered at her first sight of Jude.

“Good morning, everyone,” Jelena said imperiously, a queen to her subjects. She turned to Jude with a fake smile and demanded icily, “What are you doing here?”

Before Jude could answer, Jelena glanced around the room and noted Oscar’s absence. “No Oscar?” she said. “I don’t blame him,” she went on with faux solicitousness. “He took quite a hit the other day.”

Susan Hastings choked on something, and Jude bit his lip to keep from reacting.

“He did,” Jude said gravely, ignoring Susan’s choked, “Oh god!” behind him. “Oscar agreed that having a cooler head at the table during this time of transition would be a good idea.”

“That doesn’t sound like Oscar,” Jelena said.

“That’s what I said,” Marcus interrupted, “but Jude has the signed Appointment of Proxy, so if we could all be seated . . . .”

Jelena bit back whatever annoyance she felt at being superceded by Marcus, and added her own suggestion, though it was more like a command, that they all be seated. Jelena moved to the head of the table, and no one objected. Wendell took the chair to her left, and Jude the chair to her right. Jelena gave him a look, but didn’t say anything. She looked around the table as the rest of the board members took their seats.

Once everyone was in place, Jelena turned to Alan and said, “Make sure you note that Jude Kinkade is here on behalf of Oscar Kinkade.” To the others she said, “Where is George Pullman?”

“With his family,” Thomas Heller said.

“Note his absence,” Jelena told Alan.

“That won’t be necessary,” Jude said. “I also have George’s Appointment of Proxy.”

Jelena froze in the middle of whatever she was going to say next as she quickly did the math. She glanced at Wendell, who shrugged and shook his head, and then she glared at Jude. “I’d like to see both Appointments,” she said. “For the record.”

Jude withdrew the copies he’d made and handed them to Jelena. She unfolded them and laid them on the table, pressing them flat with both hands. Her features remained hard while she skimmed them, and then her expression softened, and Jude wondered what loophole she thought she’d found.

Jelena slid the papers down the table. “Enter these into the record,” she instructed. Susan and Thomas slid the forms further down to Alan.

“The first item I’d like to talk about is a trade,” Jelena said.

“Who are you suggesting we trade?” Susan said.

Jelena’s eyes flashed and she spared a glance for Jude. “I’m sure everyone here already knows by now.”

Wendell cleared his throat. “It’s for the record.”

“Zero,” Jelena said, unable to keep the distaste out of her tone.

“A motion to trade Zero has been made,” Marcus said. “Anyone want to second it?”

“Seconded,” Wendell spoke up immediately.

“Discussion?” Marcus said.

“He had one heck of a game last night,” Susan said. “Plus he has a nice ass.” She looked down the table at Jude. “Am I right?”

Jude fought back a blush. He cleared his throat. “You are,” he said, which earned him a delighted laugh.

Beside Jude, Jelena gritted her teeth. “He may be an asset on the court, but he’s a liability in the locker room and he’s a PR nightmare.”

“Because he’s gay?” Marcus said darkly.

“Because of the prostitution scandal,” Jelena said.

“I don’t think anyone’s even talking about that anymore,” Susan said.

“I’m more interested in these locker room shenanigans,” Thomas Heller said. “Who’s he having trouble with?”

“Terrence and Derek,” Jelena said.

“Your boyfriend,” Susan said drily. “Who’s no longer on the team.”

“And Derek,” Jelena repeated dangerously.

Susan didn’t look the slightest bit cowed. “Jude,” she said, “have you heard anything?”

“Zero has made no secret of the fact that he wants to be number one,” Jude said honestly. “He wanted MVP last year, and he doesn’t like settling for second. Everyone wants the ball, feathers get ruffled.”

“How do the other players feel about him?” Benjamin Harris asked.

“As far as I know, Zero doesn’t have a problem with any of the other players,” Jude said.

“Jelena,” Marcus said, “would you agree?”

Jelena looked like she very much wanted to disagree, but she said, “Yes, but Derek is our star player, and before he retired, so was Terrence.”

“And now Zero is one of our star players,” Susan said.

“He’s an albatross around our neck,” Wendell said, jumping as if he’d been kicked by Jelena. “Oscar should never have given him that thirty million dollar contract.”

“He helped get us into the playoffs last year,” Thomas said reasonably.

“He didn’t even get MVP,” Wendell argued.

“The difference between Zero or Derek getting MVP was one basket,” Benjamin said.

“Speaking of thirty million, what team would be willing, or able, to absorb that?” Susan said.

“I’ve touched base with some teams,” Jelena said. She named a few small market teams; places Jude knew Zero would hate to go to.

“When did you have time to do that?” Marcus said, raising the specter of Jelena’s behind the scenes machinations prior to her having gained control of the shareholders.

“Those teams don’t have that kind of money,” Susan said. “What kind of deal were you offering them?”

“Twenty million plus two players to be named later,” Jelena said.

“Who were you going to replace him with?” Thomas said.

“We have some great D-League talent,” Jelena said.

Jude had stayed out of the discussion as much as he could, since he was so personally involved in the matter, but he had to bite his tongue to remain silent instead of leaping to Zero’s defense, as if he was still Zero’s agent, when Jelena suggested that he could so easily be replaced by an inexperienced player.

“I call for a vote,” Marcus said, and for once Jude couldn’t read his tone.

“Before we vote,” Jelena said, “I request that Jude Kinkade abstain because of his relationship with Zero.”

Everyone looked at Jelena in surprise, but Jude had been expecting something like that. “I agree not to vote Oscar’s shares,” Jude said, “and I’ll withhold George’s vote unless a tie-breaker is required. In return,” he went on, “I request that Jelena abstain for the same reason.”

Jelena looked like she’d swallowed something bitter. “Very well,” she agreed.

“Wendell,” Marcus said, beginning with the man seated to Jelena’s left.

“In favor,” Wendell said, which Jude had expected.

“Susan.”

“Against,” Susan said, and Jude felt a frisson of excitement when Jelena lost one of her previous supporters.

“Benjamin.”

“Against,” Benjamin said.

Marcus glanced at Thomas. “Against,” Thomas said.

“I vote against, as well,” Marcus said. He glanced at Jude. “No tie-break needed. The motion to trade Zero has been defeated by a vote of four to one.”

Jude glanced down the table to Alan, who’s pen was scribbling across the page as he recorded the minutes.

Before we move on to any further business,” Jude said, “we need to address the matter of a new Chairman and CEO, since Oscar no longer fills that role.”

Jelena looked at Jude as if she was just realizing what a formidable opponent he would be. “I suppose you’re going to nominate yourself,” she said.

“What? No!” Jude said, his surprise unfeigned. It had never crossed his mind that with George’s proxy, he could do just that. Still, it wasn’t what he’d been planning before he’d been given control of those votes, and not what was best for the team now.

“I don’t have enough experience to be CEO,” Jude said. “The position requires someone with experience, an open mind, who is willing to look outside the box, and who places the best interest of the Devils first and foremost. I nominate Marcus Douglas.”

Everyone (except for maybe Susan), including Marcus, stared at Jude in surprise.

“I never gave you an answer,” Marcus said.

Jude shook his head. “No. You’d be the best person for the job in any case.”

“I second the nomination,” Susan said.

“Do you accept?” Benjamin said.

“Yes,” Marcus said.

Jude nodded at Marcus, and nervously rubbed his thumb over the key in his pocket through the material of his slacks.

“Are there any other nominations?” Jelena said.

Wendell quickly nominated Jelena, Marcus gallantly seconded the nomination, and Jelena accepted. The vote was held. Wendell voted for Jelena; Jude, Susan, Benjamin and Thomas voted for Marcus. Jude let out a sigh that he hoped no one else heard. The lines had been drawn – re-drawn – and now Jude knew where everyone stood.

Jelena didn’t show any intention of vacating her seat, but Marcus said, “We’re all settled, so there’s no need to switch seats now.”

Jude could see the angry mottle of Jelena’s skin as she fought to hold onto her temper. She gave a hard smile that was all teeth, and replied politely. “I appreciate the consideration.”

“Were there any other items you wanted to bring before the Board?” Marcus asked Jelena, since she’d called the emergency meeting.

Jude knew that there had been, but now that she’d lost control of the majority in spectacular fashion, Jelena had no way of getting them through the Board. “No,” she said.

Marcus nodded, then glanced around the table. “Anyone else?”

When no one did, Marcus said, “There are a few items I’d like to put on the table for discussion, since we’re all here.” He leaned back in his chair, relaxed. “I’ve already spoken to Jelena about Jude. It is my belief that he’s doing a good job despite his lack of prior experience, and I think he should remain in the position.”

“Seconded,” Susan said quickly, without waiting for an official motion.

“I haven’t made a motion yet,” Marcus pointed out.

“Then get on with it,” Susan said, earning a chuckle from Benjamin.

Jude felt hot, then cold, when he realized what they were doing: making his position official by giving it Board sanction. The motion was made, discussed, and voted upon. Jelena and Wendell voted against, but even abstaining from the vote, Jude retained his position. He tried to show his appreciation to the others, without letting Jelena see how relieved he was.

“The other thing I wanted to bring before the Board is the sale of George Pullman’s share in the Devils,” Marcus said.

Despite her attempt to appear disinterested, Jude could tell that Jelena was already calculating the odds that she could get her hands on those shares.

“George has already signed a contract for the sale,” Marcus said, withdrawing a copy of said contract from the inside pocket of his suit jacket.

Jude had a moment of shock, but then realized that he shouldn’t be surprised because obviously George had spoken to Marcus about the sale if he’d taken an informal poll, and he’d known about the board meeting. Jude found it hard to comprehend, though, that they’d conspired together to help him. Marcus _hadn’t_ given Jude an answer before, but he thought that maybe this _was_ his answer.

“George can’t sell the shares outside of the current shareholders,” Jelena said.

“I’m aware of the restriction,” Marcus said, handing the contract to Susan, who glanced at it and passed it on to Thomas. “And so is George.”

Jelena’s jaw clenched at the reprimand. She looked around the table at the other board members and shareholders, trying to determine who the buyer was. Wendell paled when the copy of the contract reached him and he read the buyer’s name. He reluctantly passed it on to Jelena.

Jelena’s fingers clenched, twisting the paper, and her expression went tight. She glared at Jude, who tried to retain a calm facade in the face of her abject hatred. Jude didn’t know if it was directed at him personally, or merely at the notion of having been bested, but it chilled him.

Jelena released the paper and smoothed out the wrinkles she’d made in it. “Jude isn’t a shareholder,” she pointed out.

“Neither were you,” Marcus pointed out, “until Oscar made you one. Nor was your mother when Olivia left her shares to her. You know that the restriction has been excepted so long as the shares remain within the Devils family. And Jude more than qualifies as family.”

“The sale needs to be approved by the Board, in that case,” Wendell pointed out.

“George already sought informal approval before he made the offer to Jude,” Marcus said, sending home the point that Wendell had been excluded from that.

Jelena turned her glare onto Wendell, who helplessly shrugged and shook his head.

The motion was made by Susan, seconded by Benjamin. No one felt the need to have a discussion, and so they got directly to the vote. By a vote of 4-2, the contract of sale was approved. Jude was officially going to be a part owner of the Devils – it felt unreal.

Marcus brought up a few more administrative details that needed taking care of given the change of leadership. The meeting was concluded soon after that. Jude checked his watch; barely an hour had passed. He almost couldn’t believe that things had fallen into place that neatly, that he’d managed to save both his and Zero’s jobs, and that he was now a shareholder and board member of the Devils.

Jude was ready to pinch himself, but Jelena leaned closer to him and, under cover of the meeting breaking up, hissed, “How the hell did you manage this?”

Jude didn’t know whether he should be insulted that Jelena didn’t think he could have rallied any of the board members behind him, or whether he should just be pleased that she’d underestimated him. He didn’t have to worry about formulating a reply, because Jelena went on before he could.

“You’ve won this round, but don’t get too comfortable, because I’m not done.”

Jelena left without saying a word to any of the other board members, not even Wendell, who looked kind of shell-shocked. That was something Jude was going to have to speak with Marcus about.

Movement in the doorway caught Jude’s eye. He rose to his feet in surprise when he saw Zero. Jude walked around the table to meet him.

“Hey,” Zero said, taking Jude’s hand in his. “I saw Jelena leave.”

Jude realized he shouldn’t have been surprised that Zero had been waiting outside the board room for the meeting to end.

“I think I have scorch marks,” Zero went on. “I take it things went well.”

Despite Jelena’s threat, Jude let himself smile. Today, at least, they’d beaten her. And Jude had somehow managed to form a coalition of the Board that would back him. Even if Oscar found a way to revoke his Appointment, Jude would still have a place on the Board, he’d still have a piece of the Devils. Zero had been right, Oscar would be rolling in his grave.

“Yeah,” Jude said, “things went well. Do you know what this means?”

“It means you just beat Jelena at her own game,” Zero said, grinning. He picked Jude up.

“Oh my god,” Jude said through his laughter. “Put me down! You’re undermining my authority with the Board.”

“Nonsense,” Susan said as Jude’s feet touched the floor. She reached up and pinched Zero’s cheek. “It’s good to see two people so in love.” She winked at Jude, and then pinched his ass as she walked past him to the door.

Jude’s eyes went round and Zero laughed.

“I should’ve warned you about Susan,” Marcus said.

“Why didn’t you?” Jude said, resisting the urge to rub his butt.

“Sometimes it’s important to see how gracefully someone reacts in a given situation.”

“She was a test?” Jude said.

“Don’t let Susan hear you say that,” Marcus said. “You and I need to have a meeting, go over your departments. And I need to bring myself up to speed on the day-to-day management of the team. Looks like I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me.” He gave Jude look.

“You could’ve said ‘no’,” Jude pointed out.

“I couldn’t, and you knew it.”

“Didn’t know,” Jude said. “Hoped.”

“Congratulations,” Marcus said. “To both of you. You know this isn’t over, though, right? Jelena may be down, but I wouldn’t count her out. Watch your backs.”

Marcus shook both their hands before leaving the board room, supposedly to check out his new office that Jelena was probably even now vacating. Wendell had somehow snuck out while they were talking to Marcus, but Benjamin and Thomas remained and shook their hands before leaving.

Alan had packed up his files and gave them a nod as he left. He blushed when Zero smiled at him. Jude raised his eyebrows.

“What?” Zero said. “I can’t help it if everyone wants piece of this.”

Jude’s gaze followed Zero’s hand as he gestured at himself. No, he probably couldn’t. Instead of saying that out loud, Jude said, “Speaking of a piece of something, we have pastries left, and I’m starving. Want one?”

“Oh, I think we can do better than that,” Zero said.

Jude gave Zero a questioning look.

“I’m taking the newest owner of the Devils out to lunch to celebrate.”

“We’re not having a quickie during lunch,” Jude said automatically.

Zero clutched at his chest dramatically. “You wound me, Jude. Why are you always so suspicious?”

“With very good reason,” Jude said, but he let Zero take his hand and lead him out of the board room.

“Come on, I made reservations.”

“Reservations? You must’ve been pretty sure we’d be successful,” Jude said.

Zero gave Jude a surprised look. “Of course I was. Any day of the week I’d put my money on you.”

Jude’s throat felt tight and his eyes burned at the easy way Zero said that.

“I didn’t make you my agent just because you had a pretty face.”

Jude laughed, and Zero smiled because he’d _made_ Jude laugh. They couldn’t rest on their laurels, but they’d pulled off a pretty big victory today. Maybe a celebration before they got back to work anticipating and deflecting whatever Jelena might throw at them was in order. And maybe Zero would get lucky after all. Maybe they both would.

“This restaurant we’re going to, do they have a bathroom door that locks?” Jude asked casually.

Zero’s look of surprise, and the flush of arousal that rushed into his cheeks was even more satisfying than the look on Jelena’s face when she realized she’d been beaten. Jude squeezed Zero’s hand and smiled as he pressed the ‘down’ button on the elevator.

Zero recovered quickly. “If not, we’ll figure something else out.”

“We’re not having sex in the Porsche,” Jude said firmly.

Zero shook his head and tsk’d. “Jude, why do you keep setting me new challenges?”

Jude laughed. He hadn’t meant it as a challenge, but he wasn’t the slightest bit surprised that Zero took it that way. At the very least it kept Jude on his toes. “Gotta keep you interested,” Jude said lightly.

Zero drew Jude into the elevator and pushed him up against the wall. “Trust me,” he said, his voice a deep rasp. “You do.”

Jude opened up to Zero’s kiss, and raised his own hand to the back of Zero’s head. He thought about Zero kissing him in public where anyone could see, but it was soon lost in the heat of their kiss and the slide of Zero’s hand over his ass. The elevator doors closed and opened twice, dinging to indicate that a floor hadn’t been chosen, before Zero reached over and blindly punched some buttons.

The elevator lurched into motion, and Jude had no idea where they were going to end up, which was an interesting parallel to their relationship. Wherever they ended up, though, it was going to be an interesting ride. Jude thought he might tell Zero that later, just to watch the innuendo light up his face, but for now, he’d concentrate on this moment.

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I got to the point where I wanted to end this story . . . and I kept writing. Apparently there's going to be a follow-up at some point? o_O


End file.
